The effects of drug use during pregnancy
Using drugs during pregnancy poses obvious health risks to both the mother and child, but oftentimes the extent and exact level of danger which is presented is vastly underestimated and overlooked.
While drug use will cause withdrawal symptoms in both the mother and child after the child is born, there are many other far more severe symptoms which both will experience, any of which may be permanent or fatal; being unaware of these can lead the mother to continue abusing the substance, refrain from not abstaining from the substance, or think that even a little or moderate usage is okay, and can be the gravest danger of all. Furthermore, different drugs taken during the pregnancy can be especially damaging to the development of the fetus (the type of damage varies depending on which stage of the pregnancy the substance was taken as well as the type of substance taken).
The following is an outline of the stages of pregnancy fetal development, how each stage of pregnancy is affected by substance abuse, and the health risks incurred by the mother fetus; this outline is followed by a list of specific drug types, and an explanation of the specific dangers presented by each.
The first 10 weeks:
The first ten weeks of pregnancy are the most critical for the development and health of the fetus – during the first ten weeks, the primary organs and systems of the fetus are formed, and drug use during this time will produce the most harmful and destructive effects. Alcohol and some drugs used at this stage can affect the development of the limbs, heart, central nervous system, and facial features, and cause malformations of these.
The second and third trimesters:
Drug abuse or alcohol will harm fetal growth and is the most dangerous effect posed to the fetus during this time – this may result in a low-weight child at birth, a premature birth, or stunted growth overall, which may result in severe health or development problems or even death. Drug or alcohol use during the second and third trimesters will also affect the development of organ systems (including vision and hearing related organs and kidney) and central nervous system, and contribute to the increase behavioral of and/or cognitive abnormalities.
Effects on the pregnant woman
The physical affects which drug and alcohol abuse may have on the health of the pregnant woman include sudden bleeding, poor appetite and sleeping (both of which will also affect the development of the fetus), and premature delivery; the mental effects which this abuse may have include increased difficulty in making decisions or plans, increased difficulty in recognizing or coping with changes brought about by the pregnancy, and risky behavior (this not only includes further drug or alcohol abuse but also unsafe sex, which in turn may lead to infections or transmitted diseases, and dangerous acts such as drunk driving).
As you can see, engaging in drug and/or alcohol use during pregnancy will have severely and dangerous effects on both the fetus and mother which extend far beyond premature birth or low birth weight; the following is a more detailed list of the effects which each specific substance will cause
Alcohol
Heavy or even moderate drinking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of the fetus developing a combination of physical and mental symptoms which make up fetal alcohol syndrome; these symptoms unfortunately are permanent, difficult to overcome in certain cases, and disabling, and will require significant amounts of medical attention, psychiatric treatment, and special education.
Physical symptoms of this syndrome include heart defects, facial deformation (such as small eye openings), small skull (microcephaly), central nervous system (CNS) problems, poor coordination, below average height and weight, and vision and hearing problems; mental symptoms will include learning and behavioral problems such as speech and language delays, difficulties with mathematical skills, memory, attention, and judgment, a low IQ, mental retardation, and hyperactive behavior – if un-treated or un-addressed, these often will lead to psychiatric problems, criminal behavior, unemployment, and incomplete education later on in
Cocaine, Crack & Methamphetamine
These will have powerful and dramatic stimulating effects on the mothers central nervous, causing her heart rate to soar, blood pressure to escalate, and the constriction of blood vessels; when taken during the first 2 trimesters of the pregnancy this will may cause the stunted growth in the fetus – it may also increase the risk of premature birth, miscarriage, and a condition known as abruptio placentae (the partial separation of the placenta from the uterus wall)
Heroin & Other Narcotics
The use of heroin and other narcotic substances during any stage of pregnancy will cause low birth weight bleeding within the rain (intracranial hemorrhage), low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), and respiratory problem; the children of mothers who use heroin and other narcotic substances are very often likely to be born with withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, vomiting and diarrhea, and joint stiffness. Women who use these substances have a greater risk of becoming infected with the HIV virus from dirty needles, and run a high risk of passing the virus on to their babies.
PCP
The use of pcp during any stage of pregnancy will cause the fetus to have tremors and general withdrawal symptoms after birth.
Substance abuse of any kind during a pregnancy will have potentially devastating and lifelong consequences for the unborn child and present additional health risk to the mother as well – if you are pregnant and unable to abstain from using, please seek treatment NOW. If you believe that there are few treatment programs which specifically address the need of pregnant, women you are wrong – many treatment programs do have special needs and programs for pregnant women (even if this may not be stated upfront first thing on their brochure, website, etc.), and there will be no better time to do it than now. Please stop drug use during pregnancy. It WILL get easier day by day!
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i have a question not a comment……. i have to take prescribed klonopin for anxiety and have been on pain meds ( to the point im now addicted) for the !st trimester of pregnancy> the klonopin i cannot get off> and if i was to just stop the pain meds how would that affect the baby. and are those two drugs dangerous for the fetus so far and what are the risks?
Great info here. We’re planning to get pregnant and this would surely help a clueless gal like me. I just hope there’s a print option for your articles though..
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Taking drugs and alcohol are surely detrimental to both the health of the mother and her baby. Motherhood requires great responsibility, that’s why pregnant women should be conscious of their actions.
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Heroin use during pregnancy is extremely dangerous and requires specialized treatment in order to safely detox both the mother and the baby. Pregnant women using heroin or other opioids should not stop taking the drug without seeking medical help.
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Its sad that even today, when information is freely available, women still don’t realize how dangerous it is to take drugs, even prescription drugs, during pregnancy. Thanks for doing your part and sharing this information.
It is very dangerous to a pregnant woman who takes drug .It can harm there babies.
I’ve been clean throughout my whole pregnancy but i relapsed for 2 weeks on cocaine really bad though. I feel horrible and i’m sure there is going to be many people with alot of mean things to say about this but I got it together and this will not happen again. I just want to make sure the baby will be ok. I’m too scared to tell my doctor but does anyone have an opinion. I just want everything to be ok. I’m 27 weeks pregnant and screwed up in the 25th and 26th week. Please help. I know this is awful and trust me, I feel so guilty.
Cool but Alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs for pregnant women, especially in the early weeks. In the mother’s body, alcohol breaks down chemically to a cell-damaging compound that is readily absorbed by the fetus. Heavy drinking during early pregnancy greatly increases the risk of a cluster of birth defects known as fetal alcohol syndrome. This cluster includes a small skull (microcephaly), abnormal facial features, and heart defects, often accompanied by impeded growth and mental retardation. Heavy drinking in later pregnancy may also impede growth.
It is not known whether light to modrate drinking can produce these effects. However, even if the risk is low, the stakes are very high. Medical experts agree that a woman should avoid alcohol entirely when she decides to become pregnant, or at least when the first signs of pregnancy appear. Even such mild beverages as beer and wine coolers should be off limits. i cant beliv
I found out I was pregnant at 8 weeks after abusing substances like cocaine and Oxycontin. I’m safely off these drugs with no harm to the fetus thank my lucky stars! I seek support services such as 12 step programs and addiction counseling. I’m sticking very close to my spiritual roots to help me through the rough times. Good luck to anyone struggling with addiction there is hope and help!
As stated in this post and among many of your comments, we know that drugs is very dangerous during pregnancy, but one other thing that can be dangerous forthe fetus are simple medicine that you can easily find without presciption such as claritin for allergies or gravol for nausea, or even motrin for join pain. A pregnant women who feel sick cannot use any free medicine. Talk to your doctor before considering consuming anything to help you get better.
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Do you’ve a profile on twitter? I can’t seem to come across Drug Use During Pregnancy | Addiction Recovery Basics on the website and I would love to connect with you there. I like your writing style, thanks James Hopkins
I have been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.
For some women pregnancy is a turning point. It gives them the strength to kick habits like smoking and drinking and drugs. Some only quit for the duration of the pregnancy and then go right back. Some never stop at all. It is up to those of us that know people like this to provide them the knowledge and support they need. If it is above our abilities than we must try to push towards professional help.
It really dangerous things for pregnant woman and her baby who are taking drug and alcohol. Pregnancy is really a miracle in woman’s life. Why Should they spoil it with these poisons?
Drugs are just plain scary.
I have been taking tramadol for about a year, since being diagnosed with leukemia. I just took a pregnancy test and it is positive. I take up to 15 tramadol a day, not everyday, but most days. It helped with my energy, pain, and depression. What does this mean for my baby? I am so scared and want to know if it is already too late. Have I already seriously harmed the baby? Is it already guaranteed that my baby will have health problems? I would have never thought I could be pregnant. I didn’t think I could get pregnant first of all. Secondly, I always use protection. I plan on coming off of tramadol gradually because I read that I will feel withdrawals and that could cause me to abort. I have never taken any kind of medication on a regular basis, so I wasn’t completely aware of the danger. I specifically asked for something non addictive and was prescribed tramadol. From what I’ve been reading on the internet, that is not true. I am so upset. It makes me sick. I am apparantly an addict. How irresponsible and horrible of me. Please advise me. Please.