Drugs in Pregnancy

Cocaine:

Cocaine is a potent stimulant of the central nervous system and its use in pregnancy may cause very serious and, in some cases irreversible. In the first trimester, may increase the chances of a miscarriage, and in recent months, a premature birth.

Moreover, it can lead to placenta to separate from the uterine wall before the time of birth - a condition known as placental abruption, causing heavy bleeding and can be fatal for both the mother and the baby.

Most babies exposed to cocaine use before birth will not necessarily an anomaly, but research indicates that rather run more risk of this happening (and the stakes are higher as the frequency with which the mother consumes the drug). Some of the anomalies associated with cocaine are brain defects of the face, eyes, heart, intestines and genitals of the baby.

Another problem is that children of users often go through bouts of abstinence from the drug, having greater difficulty being comforted and scaring the slightest touch or noise. This type of complication can last from eight to ten weeks after the birth or even more.

What is not yet known for sure is that the amount of cocaine that produces these consequences, so doctors are emphatic about pregnant women stop time with the drug to prevent scares and frustrations in the future.

Ecstasy:

According to a survey by the Teratology Information Service of British, an institution that examines harmful effects to the body of numerous substances, a greater number of malformations (especially of limbs and heart) among babies of consuming ecstasy, especially if associated other drugs, than mothers who did not take anything.

Heroin:

Heroin causes many negative effects on developing baby, as lower fetal growth, preterm birth - about half of the children of heroin-addicted mothers born before time - and even death even before birth.

Children exposed to heroin while in utero usually suffer very strong symptoms of withdrawal symptoms after birth, requiring treatment which can take weeks. Symptoms include irritability, restlessness, and difficulty eating and breathing, and one subject matter experts are trained to deal properly and safely with this type of situation.