Can You Take Aspirin While Pregnant?
Don't take regular-strength aspirin for pain on your own in pregnancy. Low-dose 'baby' aspirin is sometimes prescribed to prevent pre-eclampsia — but only take it if your provider tells you to.
The full answer
Aspirin in pregnancy is really two different stories. Regular full-strength aspirin (for pain or fever) is generally avoided. Like other NSAIDs, it can affect bleeding. From about 20 weeks it can also lower the fluid around the baby, and later it can affect the baby's heart circulation. That's why acetaminophen (Tylenol/paracetamol) is the preferred choice for pain instead. Low-dose aspirin (often called 'baby aspirin', around 81 mg) is a separate, deliberate medical treatment: providers prescribe it to certain people from around the end of the first trimester to lower the risk of pre-eclampsia, and in that supervised context it's considered appropriate and beneficial. The key distinction is that low-dose aspirin should only be taken because your provider has specifically recommended it for you — not started on your own. This is general information; your provider decides what's right for your pregnancy.
How to take aspirin safely
- For pain or fever, use acetaminophen (Tylenol/paracetamol), not aspirin
- Take low-dose 'baby' aspirin only if your provider has prescribed it for you
- If you're at higher risk of pre-eclampsia, ask your provider whether it's indicated
When to avoid: Avoid regular-strength aspirin for self-treating pain; only use low-dose aspirin under your provider's direction.
Aspirin by trimester
| Stage | What changes |
|---|---|
| First trimester | If low-dose aspirin is indicated for you, this is usually when the conversation happens — guidance generally has it started after 12 weeks, and earlier within that window is typically preferred. It is prescribed based on your risk factors, so it's a decision made with your provider, not one to pre-empt. |
| Second trimester | Where low-dose aspirin has been prescribed, it's normally continued daily through this period. Regular-strength aspirin for pain remains something to avoid — the two uses are genuinely different things that happen to share an ingredient. |
| Third trimester | Prescribed low-dose aspirin is usually taken every day until your baby is born, unless your provider gives you a different stop date. Don't stop or continue on your own reading; the timing is deliberate and individual. |
Common questions about aspirin in pregnancy
What's the difference between baby aspirin and regular aspirin?
Dose, and purpose. Low-dose or 'baby' aspirin is around 81 mg and is used as a preventive treatment when a provider judges it appropriate. Regular-strength aspirin is several times that and is taken for pain or fever — which is the use to avoid in pregnancy. Same drug on the label, two entirely different situations.
Why would a doctor prescribe aspirin in pregnancy?
The main reason is lowering the risk of pre-eclampsia in people assessed as higher risk — because of blood pressure history, a previous affected pregnancy, carrying multiples, or other factors. It's a considered preventive decision based on your history, which is exactly why it isn't something to start independently.
I'm taking low-dose aspirin — can I still take something for a headache?
Acetaminophen is generally the go-to for pain and fever in pregnancy, and being on prescribed low-dose aspirin doesn't change that. What it does mean is that adding any other NSAID is a question for your provider first, since you're already on something affecting bleeding.
Your provider or pharmacist should confirm whether aspirin suits you, since they can check your history and other medicines. The general rules for medicines in pregnancy are in our pregnancy safety guide, and you can track your pregnancy with the How Far Along Am I? calculator and the week-by-week guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you take aspirin while pregnant?
- Don't take regular-strength aspirin for pain on your own in pregnancy. Low-dose 'baby' aspirin is sometimes prescribed to prevent pre-eclampsia — but only take it if your provider tells you to. Aspirin in pregnancy is really two different stories. Regular full-strength aspirin (for pain or fever) is generally avoided. Like other NSAIDs, it can affect bleeding. From about 20 weeks it can also lower the fluid around the baby, and later it can affect the baby's heart circulation. That's why acetaminophen (Tylenol/paracetamol) is the preferred choice for pain instead. Low-dose aspirin (often called 'baby aspirin', around 81 mg) is a separate, deliberate medical treatment: providers prescribe it to certain people from around the end of the first trimester to lower the risk of pre-eclampsia, and in that supervised context it's considered appropriate and beneficial. The key distinction is that low-dose aspirin should only be taken because your provider has specifically recommended it for you — not started on your own. This is general information; your provider decides what's right for your pregnancy.
- Why is aspirin something to be careful with in pregnancy?
- Aspirin in pregnancy is really two different stories. Regular full-strength aspirin (for pain or fever) is generally avoided. Like other NSAIDs, it can affect bleeding. From about 20 weeks it can also lower the fluid around the baby, and later it can affect the baby's heart circulation. That's why acetaminophen (Tylenol/paracetamol) is the preferred choice for pain instead. Low-dose aspirin (often called 'baby aspirin', around 81 mg) is a separate, deliberate medical treatment: providers prescribe it to certain people from around the end of the first trimester to lower the risk of pre-eclampsia, and in that supervised context it's considered appropriate and beneficial. The key distinction is that low-dose aspirin should only be taken because your provider has specifically recommended it for you — not started on your own. This is general information; your provider decides what's right for your pregnancy.
- When should I avoid aspirin during pregnancy?
- Avoid regular-strength aspirin for self-treating pain; only use low-dose aspirin under your provider's direction.
Sources
This answer was checked against the following public guidance. Advice can differ between countries; your midwife, doctor or pharmacist can apply it to you.