Impact of Drug Abuse on Pregnancy

Drugs in pregnancy are a huge threat to the health of the developing baby and its mother. This may sound pretty obvious, but unfortunately drug addiction among pregnant women is a serious problem. Drugs, nicotine and alcohol is a teratogenic factors that can irreversibly damage the fetus. Along with drug use during pregnancy increases the risk of chronic diseases, such as hepatitis or AIDS (Catalano). In addition, pregnancy can be complicated - premature birth, miscarriage, birth defects child too low birth weight, the risk of addiction in the newborn, etc.

Many female drug users do not realize until the end that is causing harm to his own child, which is called the heart. Awareness of action of psychoactive substances on the woman's body and the fetus could save many a baby before birth defects, chronic illness, disability, and even death. Even the occasional ingestion of the drug during pregnancy can be dangerous because it contains a lot of toxic contaminants that can damage the fetus. Drug abuse in itself is a huge problem. During pregnancy, women drug abuse is doubly dangerous - threatening and mother and child (Jentink, et al.). In addition, the drugs usually involve other difficulties, such as inadequate maternal diet, malnutrition, anemia, sexually transmitted diseases, chronic infections, lack of family support, lack of prenatal care. Women taking the drugs usually lead disorderly lives, do not want the unborn offspring, reject them fear that they will prove themselves in the role of the mother or the guilt that your baby will be born as a result of addiction.

Opiates, such as heroin or morphine, cause severe physical and psychological dependence on the mother, as well as in the new-born child. Opioid use is associated with risk of infection with HIV and bacterial infections. Opiates inhibit ovulation and reduce the chance of becoming pregnant may contribute to premature birth of underweight children, as well as an increased risk of perinatal death (Koren and Nulman). The infant may have breathing problems and seizures. The amniotic fluid often (40%) encountered a fetal meconium.

Cannabis contains THC, which remains very long in the tissues of mother and child. Newborns of mothers intensive smoking "pot" are lazy. In later life, have difficulty concentrating, impaired cognitive development, impaired memory and verbal association. THC is excreted in breast milk of nursing mothers. Woman who use marijuana, even if only once a month, is exposed ...