There are many ways that illegal drugs and recreational drugs can affect the health of a developing foetus.
Women who are taking illegal and/or recreational drugs are often less likely to:
We are all aware of the tragic consequences for the babies of some drug users. Babies are born every day already addicted to heroin, crack cocaine and alcohol. They begin their life as an addict themselves and need to be safely detoxed.
A drug user in pregnancy can contract diseases through unsafe drug use (e.g. shared needles) that can pass across the placenta. These diseases include HIV which can infect a developing baby.
Finally, illegal drugs and recreational drugs contain active ingredients that can also pass across the placenta and affect brain development and general foetal development.
It’s really important to speak to your doctor or midwife about any illegal and recreational drugs that you take. Furthermore, don’t assume that any legal drugs are safe for your baby just because they aren’t illegal.
Your medical team will be able to direct you to drug use specialists who can support you as you stop taking drugs and detox.
Illicit drug use is potentially very serious for developing babies. Sadly, unplanned pregnancies can be common for those living an often chaotic life. Expectant mothers may present late in pregnancy when damage has already occurred.
There may be 750, 000 pregnancies a year affected by cocaine use (Cain 2013). Cocaine increases the risk of spontaneous miscarriage, preterm labour, low birth weight, decreased head circumference and difficult delivery. Behavioural problems in later childhood have also been reported.
Heroin use during pregnancy can result in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) caused by exposure of the infant via the placenta. Symptoms include excessive crying, fever, irritability, seizures, slow weight gain, tremors, diarrhoea, vomiting, and even death. If the mother is able to access a methadone maintenance programme during pregnancy the outcomes can be improved. After birth, a baby born to a heroin-dependent mother will normally require intensive care and slow detoxification with support from morphine or buprenorphine.
Current advice is for mothers to refrain from drinking alcohol at all during pregnancy In the first-trimester excessive alcohol may be teratogenic, later it may restrict the growth of the foetus. A safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy is not known. Excess exposure to alcohol during development can give rise to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). For mothers who are unable to refrain from alcohol completely during pregnancy, a limit of one or two units once a twice a week has been suggested by the Department of Health emphasising that women attempting to conceive or who are pregnant should not get drunk.
Smoking may be seen as more socially acceptable rather than a recreational drug but is still harmful to the unborn child. Women considering embarking on pregnancy should consider smoking cessation before, or as soon as possible after, conception. Smoking in pregnancy affects the foetus resulting in an increased risk of:
