Quitting Statins During Pregnancy May Improve Birth Outcomes: Study

Researchers found no increase in the risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks or strokes when pregnant women were taken off drugs like Lipitor.

Despite long-standing guidance from federal health officials encouraging the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs during pregnancy, a new study suggests that stopping statins does not increase the risk of heart disease, and may even lower the chances of certain birth complications.

According to findings published in the journal Circulation on January 23, pregnant women who stop using statin drugs, like Lipitor and Zocor, did not suffer cardiovascular side effects. Researchers also found that women who stopped using the cholesterol drugs had lower risks of stillbirths.

Statins are a class of medications commonly prescribed to treat high cholesterol by reducing its production in the liver and helping remove it from the bloodstream. Popular brand-name statins include Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor. While generally considered effective, the drugs can cause side effects such as headaches, nausea and muscle pain.

In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed pregnancy warnings from statin drugs, indicating the medications could be used by expecting mothers. The agency said removing the contraindication would allow doctors and patients to make individual decisions about the benefits and risks, especially for those who face a higher risk of heart attack.

However, research published in 2024 warned widespread overprescribing of statin drugs is contributing to the “statinization” of America. An estimated 17.3 million people in the U.S. currently take statins, despite evidence suggesting many may not need them.

For the new study, South Korean researchers evaluated the risks of maternal cardiovascular, gestational and fetal outcomes linked with starting and stopping statin therapy before pregnancy.

Led by Dr. Yongtai Cho, the team used data from the National Health Insurance Database of South Korea collected between 2009 and 2023. The study focused on women who used statins for 12 to 24 weeks before their last menstrual period prior to becoming pregnant.

More than 13,000 women used statins during that period. Among those, 56% continued using the medications after pregnancy and the rest stopped using statins once they became pregnant.

The data showed that women who stopped taking statins like Lipitor when they became pregnant did not develop a higher risk of suffering heart problems, such as major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) like heart attacks, strokes, revascularization or cardiovascular death.

Researchers indicated that even among women with known high cholesterol or coronary artery disease, quitting statin drugs did not increase their risk of suffering heart disease-related side effects.

Additionally, quitting statins lowered the risk of the child being stillborn and lowered the risk of having a child with low birth weight.

“Our results support a case-by-case evaluation of the potential benefits and risks of statin use in pregnant women, particularly in those with high cardiovascular risk who are considering continuing statin treatment.”

— Dr. Yongtai Cho, Association of Statin Discontinuation in Pregnancy With Maternal Cardiovascular Health and Birth Outcomes: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Researchers said the findings suggest that stopping statin use during pregnancy may not carry the risks previously assumed, largely because cardiovascular events are rare among women of reproductive age. However, they cautioned that more research is needed to fully understand all of the factors involved.

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