NCJ Number
133875
Date Published
1986
Length
40 pages
Annotation
An estimated 5 to 10 percent of women of childbearing age abuse alcohol, smoke tobacco and/or marijuana, use cocaine and other illicit drugs, or misuse over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
Abstract
Drug abuse by parents, usually the expectant mother, can affect reproduction from fertility through pregnancy and lactation. Factors that affect risk levels from drug use include dose, timing, individual susceptibility, and the presence of other known risk factors. The physician plays a critical role in intervening at the earliest stages for a pregnant woman in order to deal with her physical condition and her mental and emotional capacity for motherhood. The main way to determine a pregnant woman's drug habits is for the physician to ask her specific questions. The physician has various options for prenatal education, counseling, and referral. The physician must establish credibility and show concern, provide personal advice and motivation, offer prenatal education about abusable drugs, counsel high-risk users individually, and refer drug abusers who do not respond. Specific effects of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, sedatives, hypnotics, tranquilizers, stimulants, cocaine, opiates, synthetics, and hallucinogens on an expectant mother and her fetus are detailed. Sample questions the physician can ask to assess drug habits are listed, and sample data collection forms are provided. 29 references