Pregnant women and cocaine

Pregnant women and cocaine

Cocaine usage during pregnancy has the potential to harm both mother and baby, and the effects may be long-lasting. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), roughly 1, pregnant women reported using cocaine in the past month. 1 This usage is especially prevalent among young adults aged 18 to 25 Using cocaine during pregnancy may cause serious problems for your baby, before and after birth. These problems can include: Placental abruption. This is a serious condition in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before birth Cocaine use during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of premature birth, meaning a baby is considered to be born too early (before 37 weeks). 7 Babies born preterm may have a higher risk of serious health problems. After birth, they may experience issues with cognition as well as problems with their heart, eyes, and other organs

What are the effects of maternal cocaine use? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Most women who are addicted to cocaine are of childbearing age. Estimates suggest that about 5 percent of pregnant women use one or more addictive substances, 25 and there are aroundcocaine-exposed pregnancies every year. Cocaine use during pregnancy is associated with maternal migraines and seizures, premature membrane rupture, and separation of the placental lining from the uterus prior to delivery. It is difficult to estimate the full extent of the consequences of maternal drug use and to determine the specific hazard of a particular drug to the unborn child.

This is because multiple factors—such as the amount and number of all drugs used, including nicotine or alcohol; extent of prenatal care; exposure to violence in the environment; socioeconomic conditions; maternal nutrition; other health conditions; and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases—can all interact to influence maternal and child outcomes, pregnant women and cocaine.

Babies born to mothers who use cocaine during pregnancy are often prematurely delivered, have low birth weights and smaller head circumferences, and are shorter in length than babies born to mothers who do not use cocaine.

However, the fact that most of these children do not show serious overt deficits should not be overinterpreted to indicate that there pregnant women and cocaine no cause for concern. Using sophisticated technologies, pregnant women and cocaine are now finding that exposure to cocaine during fetal development may lead to subtle, yet significant, later deficits in some children.

National Institutes of Health. Order Publications En español, pregnant women and cocaine. Drug Topics. More Drug Topics. Quick Links. NIDAMED: Clinical Resources. About NIDA. Research Report. Cocaine Research Report What are the effects of maternal cocaine use? Prev Next. May

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Cocaine and pregnancy

Cocaine crosses the placenta and enters the developing baby via the amniotic fluid. Cocaine can be found in the urine, meconium (stool), umbilical cord, and hair of newborns who were exposed during pregnancy. Cocaine is cleared more slowly from the developing baby in a pregnancy and as a newborn than it does in an adult Some of the more specific health risks connected to cocaine use and pregnancy include: malnutrition premature birth miscarriage (especially if cocaine abuse occurs in the first trimester) migraines high blood pressure seizures cardiac arrhythmia or tachycardiaEstimated Reading Time: 5 mins Most women who are addicted to cocaine are of childbearing age. Estimates suggest that about 5 percent of pregnant women use one or more addictive substances, 25 and there are around , cocaine-exposed pregnancies every year. 26 Although women may be reluctant to report substance use patterns because of social stigma and fear of losing custody of their children, they should be aware that drug use while pregnant