Illegal Drug Use and Pregnancy
The risks involved with illegal drug use during
pregnancy:
The effects of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, can be devastating on a
fetus. Unfortunately, many women of childbearing age in the US use some
form of illegal drug.
A mother taking illegal drugs during pregnancy increases her risk for
anemia, blood and heart infections, skin infections, hepatitis, and other
infectious diseases. She also is at greater risk for sexually transmitted
diseases. Almost every drug passes from the mother's bloodstream through
the placenta to the fetus. Illicit substances that cause drug dependence
and addiction in the mother also cause the fetus to become addicted.
A laboratory test, called a chromatography, performed on a woman's
urine can detect many illegal drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. Both
marijuana and cocaine, as well as other illegal drugs, can cross the
placenta. Marijuana use during pregnancy may be linked to behavioral
problems in the baby. Cocaine use can lead to premature delivery of the
fetus, premature detachment of the placenta, high blood pressure,
stillbirth. Infants born to cocaine-using mothers may have an increased
risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The effects of cocaine on the
fetus may include, but is not limited to, the following:
- growth defects
- intestinal abnormalities
- hyperactivity
- uncontrollable trembling
- learning problems
Heroin and other opiates, including methadone, can cause significant
withdrawal in the baby, with some symptoms lasting as long as four to six
months. Seizures may also occur and are more likely in babies born to
methadone users.
If a woman stops taking illegal drugs during her first trimester, she
increases her chances of having a healthy baby.
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