JP‐8 aviation fuel is being phased in as a replacement for both JP‐4 and JP‐5 jet fuels presently in use by the Air Force and Navy, respectively. At the present time, 11% of active‐duty Air Force personnel are women of child‐bearing age. This study was undertaken to determine the threat posed to the unborn fetus should female active‐duty personnel come in contact with JP‐8 while pregnant. Time‐mated Sprague‐Dawley rats were dosed orally with JP‐8 at 0, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg kg−1 day−1 on days 6–15 of pregnancy. The number and type of fetal malformations and variations observed did not differ significantly between dose groups. Dams in the 1000, 1500 and 2000 mg kg−1 day−1 groups gained significantly less body weight during pregnancy than did control dams. Embryo toxicity was indicated by a significant reduction in fetal body weight in the 1500 and 2000 mg kg−1 day−1 dose groups.