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MotherToBaby

Medications and More during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Insect Repellents

Selected References:

  • Almeida AR, et al. 2023. Challenges encountered by natural repellents: Since obtaining until the final product. Pestic Biochem Physiol; 195:105538.  
  • Barr DB, et al. 2010. Pesticide concentrations in maternal and umbilical cord sera and their relation to birth outcomes in a population of pregnant women and newborns in New Jersey. Sci Total Environ; 408(4):790-795. 
  • Consumer Reports. 2018. Mosquito Repellents That Best Protect Against Zika. Available at: http://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellents/mosquito-repellents-that-best-protect-against-zika/  
  • Diaz JH. 2016. Chemical and plant-based insect repellents: efficacy, safety, and toxicity. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine; 27(1):153-63. 
  • Dugas J, et al. 2010. Use of biocides and insect repellents and risk of hypospadias. Occup Environ Med; 67:196-200. 
  • EPA. 2026. Repellents: Protection against Mosquitoes, Ticks and Other Arthropods. Available at:  https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents. Accessed July 2026. 
  • Fradin MS, et al. 2002. Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites. New Eng J of Med; 347(1):13-8. 
  • Goodyer, L. et al. 2018. Mosquito repellents for the traveller: does picaridin provide longer protection than DEET? J Travel Med; 25:S10. 
  • Lupi E, et al. 2013. The efficacy of repellents against Aedes, Anopheles, Culex and Ixodes spp.—a literature review. Travel Med Infect Dis; 11(6):374-411.  
  • McGready R, et al. 2001. Safety of the insect repellent N,N-diethyl-M-toluamide (DEET) in pregnancy. Am J Trop Med Hyg; 65(4):285-9. 
  • Nguyen QD, et al. 2023. Insect repellents: An updated review for the clinician. J Am Acad Dermatol; 88(1):123-130.  
  • Orders, M. 2021. Insect Repellents. Med Lett Drugs Ther; 63(1628): 109-112. 
  • Segal TR, et al. 2017. Urinary concentrations of 3-(diethylcarbamoyl)benzoic acid (DCBA), a major metabolite of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) and semen parameters among men attending a fertility center. Hum Reprod; 32(12):2532-2539. 
  • The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). 2019. Management of patients in the context of Zika virus. ACOG Committee Opinion, number 784. Obstet Gynecol; 134:e64. 
  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2025. Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Other Arthropods. https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/environmental-hazards-risks/mosquitoes-ticks-and-other-arthropods.html.   
  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2024. Prevent Mosquito Bites. https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/?CDC.  
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2025. Find the Repellent that is Right for You. https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you.  
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2026. Skin-Applied Repellent Ingredients. https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/skin-applied-repellent-ingredients.  
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2025. Using Insect Repellents Safely and Effectively. https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/using-insect-repellents-safely-and-effectively.  
  • Wylie B, et al. 2016. Insect repellants during pregnancy in the era of the Zika Virus. Obstetrics and Gynecology; 128(5), 1111–1115. 

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