This factsheet has been written for members of the public by the UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS). UKTIS is a not-for-profit organisation funded by Public Health England on behalf of UK Health Departments. UKTIS has been providing scientific information to health care providers since 1983 on the effects that medicines, recreational drugs and chemicals may have on the developing baby during pregnancy.

Ecstasy (MDMA) is a recreational drug that causes hallucinations and changes in mood and behaviour by affecting the balance of certain chemicals in the brain.

Use of ecstasy in pregnancy in not advised. When a pregnant woman uses ecstasy it enters her bloodstream and crosses the placenta to the baby. The effects on a developing baby from ecstasy exposure are unclear as very few pregnant women who took ecstasy have been studied. Some studies suggest that use of ecstasy in pregnancy might harm a baby in the womb. Additionally, ecstasy is rarely available in pure form and is often mixed with a combination of other drugs which may themselves be harmful to both the mother and her unborn child. There are also a number of related drugs that are often sold as ecstasy. The risks of taking a substance that is being sold as ‘ecstasy’ are therefore very uncertain.