Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Urgent help first

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and have taken a psychedelic or another psychoactive substance and feel unwell, or worry about an infant, contact your doctor, midwife or pediatrician now. In the US, call 911 for an emergency and Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (other countries: poison help by country). In the US, 988 is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This page is education only and does not tell anyone to start, stop or change a medicine.

The short answer

The effects of psychedelic and dissociative drugs during pregnancy are not well understood, because data are limited. [1] A 2026 scoping review put it plainly: human evidence on prenatal psychedelic exposure remains sparse and methodologically constrained, and the absence of data for several substances should not be interpreted as evidence of safety. [2]

Evidence labels used on this page: evidence of harm, insufficient evidence, preclinical (cells/animals only). See how we label evidence.

What human evidence exists, substance by substance

The 2026 scoping review searched five databases from inception to March 2025 for primary human studies reporting maternal, obstetric, neonatal, birth defect or child development outcomes after prenatal exposure. It found 23 sources published between 1968 and 2020: MDMA (11), LSD (11) and mescaline or peyote (1). It identified no eligible primary human pregnancy outcome studies for psilocybin or for DMT or ayahuasca. [2] The studies were mostly small cohorts, follow-up reports from teratology services and case-based publications, often limited by self-reported exposure, use of several substances at once, and inconsistent outcome definitions. [2]

MDMA is not a classic psychedelic, and NIDA words its comment cautiously, describing it as considered by some to have psychedelic properties. [1] Label for the MDMA signal: evidence of harm is suggested by some studies but not established, because the sources are heterogeneous. NIDA also reports that PCP use in pregnancy has been linked to congenital abnormalities in several organ systems, but PCP is a dissociative drug and a different case. [1]

Evidence for ketamine, esketamine, salvia, iboga, kratom and other substances in pregnancy: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read this session. We checked PubMed searches on psychedelics with pregnancy and lactation, the scoping review and NIDA.

Breastfeeding

Proper evidence not found for human studies of psilocybin, LSD, DMT or ayahuasca in breast milk or breastfed infants. We searched PubMed for psychedelic, psilocybin, ayahuasca, MDMA and breast milk combined with lactation or breastfeeding and found no human infant data for these substances. A 2025 narrative review of psychedelics in women's reproductive health said potential risks during gestation and breastfeeding underscore the importance of caution, and that comprehensive research in women is lacking. [3]

Animal findings

A 2025 mouse study found that psilocybin given to mothers during the postpartum period was followed by heightened anxiety weeks later, and that offspring exposed through breastfeeding showed reduced pleasure-seeking behavior (anhedonia) in adulthood. The authors concluded that parous parents and their children may be uniquely vulnerable to psychedelic treatment during the postpartum period. [4] Label: preclinical (cells/animals only). Animal findings cannot be transferred to people, and mice differ from humans in dose, metabolism and development. The study is a reason for researchers to look carefully; it does not show harm in humans.

Special considerations

• Early pregnancy. The 2026 review described inadvertent exposure during early, unrecognized pregnancy as clinically plausible. [2] Anyone who is worried can speak with a doctor or a teratology information service.
• Use of other substances. The reviewed studies were often confounded by use of several substances, so effects of one drug cannot be separated. [2]
• Contaminated products. See contamination and adulteration.
• Mental health during and after pregnancy. Postpartum depression and anxiety are real and treatable; talk with a clinician. See wellness: preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding.

What the evidence cannot say

• Whether psilocybin, DMT or ayahuasca affect pregnancy outcomes in either direction.
• How much of the MDMA and LSD signal is due to the drug and how much to other exposures.
• Whether any use during breastfeeding is compatible with infant safety.

For general guidance see pregnancy and breastfeeding in natural remedy safety, psychedelic adverse effects and contraindications and talking with a health professional.