Are all-natural ingredients safe to use to keep ticks away during pregnancy?
ANSWER
The effects of these ingredients on pregnancy haven’t been studied. If you follow the package directions, they’re probably safe to use. Still, they don’t seem to offer a strong defense against ticks and may wear off quickly.
Some of the items in these natural tick repellents can be found in supplements, too. Be aware that taking them by mouth won’t help you repel ticks and could harm your baby.
Reviewed by Traci C. Johnson on April 19, 2019
SOURCES:
CDC: “Ticks and Lyme Disease,” “Stop Ticks,” “Natural Tick Repellents and Pesticides,” “Chapter 2, The Pre-Travel Consultation: Protection against Mosquitoes, Ticks and Other Arthropods.”
MotherToBaby/Organization of the Teratology Information Specialists: “Fact Sheet: Insect Repellents.”
Mayo Clinic: “Got a tick? Get tweezers?” “Lyme Disease.”
InfantRisk Center/Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: “Insect Bites and Repellent Sprays for Pregnant Women.”
MedicinesinPregnancy.org/UKTIS: “Chemical Insect Repellents.”
American Pregnancy Association: “Pesticides and Pregnancy,” “Herbs and Pregnancy.”
Malaria Journal: “Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing.”
JOGCC : “Management of Tick Bites and Lyme Disease During Pregnancy.”
SOURCES:
CDC: “Ticks and Lyme Disease,” “Stop Ticks,” “Natural Tick Repellents and Pesticides,” “Chapter 2, The Pre-Travel Consultation: Protection against Mosquitoes, Ticks and Other Arthropods.”
MotherToBaby/Organization of the Teratology Information Specialists: “Fact Sheet: Insect Repellents.”
Mayo Clinic: “Got a tick? Get tweezers?” “Lyme Disease.”
InfantRisk Center/Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: “Insect Bites and Repellent Sprays for Pregnant Women.”
MedicinesinPregnancy.org/UKTIS: “Chemical Insect Repellents.”
American Pregnancy Association: “Pesticides and Pregnancy,” “Herbs and Pregnancy.”
Malaria Journal: “Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing.”
JOGCC : “Management of Tick Bites and Lyme Disease During Pregnancy.”
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