The damaging effects of prenatal drug use

The Damaging Effects of Prenatal Drug Use

Author 's Name

Burlington County College

Abstract

There are many things pregnant women can do that can harm her unborn child . One of these is prenatal drug use . The objective of this study is to place emphasis on the damaging effects of non-therapeutic drugs to initiate awareness on how prenatal drug use can be very harmful to the fetus . In doing so , we can instigate deeper studies on preventive measures and motivate professional intervention . Interventions relating to drug-exposed infants usually target two distinct

types of harm (The Future of Children Organization , 1991 . The first type of harm is physiological : physiological damage to the fetus in utero that jeopardizes the newborn 's immediate health or future development . The second type of harm focuses on the mother-child relationship : a fear that drug use during pregnancy is predictive of future abuse and neglect of the child

According to studies , psychosocial factors relevant to prenatal drug use among women (Hutchins , 1997 ) include history of childhood sexual abuse , family history of alcohol or drug problems , male partner 's alcohol or drug use , current depression , social support , and homelessness or transiency . That said , the role of psychology then is important in that it can aid in executing preventive measures and implementing treatment programs for drug-abusing women . In that sense the pregnant woman can be assisted in carrying out her moral obligations to her unborn child and in effect , endowing it with the life it deserves The Damaging Effects of Prenatal Drug Use

Pregnancy is a dynamic state : mother and fetus undergo physiologic changes that influence drug effects . Drugs ingested by the pregnant woman reach the fetus through the maternal-placental-fetal circulation Drugs readily cross the placenta , mainly by passive diffusion . The fetus , which is exposed to any drugs , circulating in maternal blood , is very sensitive to drug effects because it has a weak capacity for metabolizing and excreting drugs (National Institute on Drug Abuse 1985 . Once drug molecules reach the fetus , they may cause anatomic malformations or other adverse effects

Different people react differently to the same drug . Exposure to drugs in utero , even to the same level of exposure , may have quite different effects on different infants . Additionally , we consider the dose-response relationship as effects likewise depend on the number of drugs taken by the pregnant woman , the amount , the frequency , and the timing of drug use during pregnancy . Heavier exposure to the substance is associated with worse outcomes

Physiological Damage

Non-therapeutic drugs including those that are illegal are known to cause intrauterine growth retardation or IUGR and other physiologic damages . Teratogenicity refers to anatomic malformations of an embryo or fetus (Webster 's New World Medical Dicitionary , 2003 ) and drugs can have teratogenic effects . The National Institute for Drug Abuse has cited some drugs known to be taken by pregnant women . These drugs cause physiological and even teratogenic effects on the unborn

First on our list is cocaine . It is associated with impaired fetal growth and smaller head size...