Retinoids, vitamin A and its derivatives, represent not only an important group of medicinal agents that can be used systemically (e.g. for the treatment of infections, skin and cancer diseases) or dermally (for the treatment of skin diseases), but also cosmetically active ingredients and components of nutritional supplements. Regardless of the wide applicability of retinoids, pregnant women must be careful when using them, as exposure to retinoids can harm the fetus. Pregnant women can come into contact with retinoids, which are known teratogens, through systemic (treatment, nutritional supplements) or dermal (treatment, cosmetic products) use. Exposure to retinoids during pregnancy may cause fetal malformations or miscarriage. Evaluating the safety of dermal and systemic use of retinoids allows us to design better guidelines for pregnant women, with the aim that pregnant women will take in enough vitamin A, which is essential for embryogenesis and development of the child, but at the same time, that they will not endanger the safety of the fetus by using certain forms. The purpose of the master's thesis is to evaluate the safety of topical retinoids used for the treatment of dermatological diseases, topical retinoids used in cosmetic products, systemic retinoids used for the treatment of diseases and nutritional supplements with vitamin A and thus safe doses of vitamin replacement for pregnant women. To review the safety profiles of drugs, nutritional supplements and cosmetic products containing retinoids, we used scientific articles from the PubMed database with the search profile "(retinoids OR vitamin A) AND pregnancy" and limited the research to review articles, systematic review articles, meta-analyses and clinical studies published between 2001 and 2021. From among all retinoids used for topical and systemic treatment, we selected 5 active ingredients that are available in the Republic of Slovenia and investigated in more detail the safety of their use during pregnancy. We found that the dermal use of retinoids for the treatment of skin diseases in pregnancy is not recommended, despite the fact that there is a small probability of systemic effects when the drugs are used correctly. The same applies to cosmetic products containing retinoids, as humans are one of the most sensitive species to retinoid toxicity. The systemic use of retinoids for the treatment of diseases in which the risk does not outweigh the benefits is strictly advised against during pregnancy, as it can lead to serious malformations of the fetus. Supplementing the diet with vitamin A is recommended for pregnant women only if there is a risk of deficiency, otherwise an excess of vitamin A in the form of dietary supplements may also pose a risk of teratogenic effects.
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