Moms and drugs: Dangers during and after pregnancy

Decision to medicate often difficult in pregnancy

-CalorieLab

06/16/2009 - Only a dozen prescription drugs (all related to pregnancy, such as those for epidurals and to induce labor) have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use during pregnancy, yet two-thirds of women take at least five different medications during the course of their pregnancy and labor.

There haven’t been a lot of studies or tracking of the effects of drugs in pregnancy, so women with many chronic health problems are left to worry if it’s better for their child if they stop taking a needed drug during pregnancy — perhaps bringing on health problems that were otherwise under control or spurring a relapse of depression, for instance — or take a drug when the side effects on the baby aren’t known.

These days drugs are classified by the suspected potential for harm to the fetus, with class A drugs considered safe, B slightly less safe, D things like chemotherapy drugs where the benefit is considered to be outweighed by the potential harm, and class X covering drugs that aren’t necessary and could be potential dangerous in pregnancy (like the acne medication Accutane, which has been linked to birth defects).

About 70 percent of all drugs fall into category C, the gray area in which doctors aren’t really sure if a drug does harm or good. Researchers (and moms) hope that more research into pregnant women who are already taking medications will allow them to determine which drugs are safe, and what doses are effective given a mom-to-be’s metabolism.

Drugs plus methadone harm the placenta

Drug-addicted moms who are using methadone and combine the drug with either cocaine or heroin may be weakening the placenta, potentially allowing other harmful substances into the organ, which could in turn hurt the baby.

Researchers at Zurich University Hospital studied placentas from women who had C-sections and uncomplicated pregnancies and exposed them to the drugs. While taking drugs with methadone — used to help people kick drug addiction — did not cause more methadone to enter the placenta, they did allow other potentially dangerous chemicals or bacteria to seep inside.

Drug use often restarts soon after baby is born

While women seem to do a pretty good job of laying off alcohol and drugs when pregnant, more than 6 percent of women continue to drink while pregnant and the number of women drinking or using drugs within three months of giving birth is somewhat high. Research from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health showed fewer women drinking farther along in their pregnancy, but 19 percent of women said they consumed alcohol in the first trimester (probably because often they didn’t know they were pregnant).

Nearly 32 percent of women had started drinking again by the time their child was 3 months old, while 10 percent of women binge drank, 20 percent smoked cigarettes, and 3.8 percent smoked marijuana. But those numbers are still a lot lower than among women who aren’t new moms.

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