Drug Use During PregnancyEssay Preview: Drug Use During PregnancyReport this essayPrenatal drug abuse is a very tragic, yet preventable issue in our society. For a pregnant woman, drug abuse is doubly dangerous. Drugs may harm her own health, interfering with her ability to support the pregnancy. Also, some drugs can directly impair prenatal development. All illegal drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, pose dangers to a pregnant woman. Legal substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, are also dangerous, and even medical drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, can be harmful. For her own health and the health of the child, a woman should avoid all of them as much as possible from the time she first plans to become pregnant or learns that she is pregnant.
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Drug Use during Pregnancy
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Drug abuse occurs when one or more things that could be considered “safe” or “pleasant” in your body become too many when you reach for a drug or alcohol. When you are under pressure from your body or by the consequences of a drug use, you may find it hard to focus on what is important or rewarding to you and can be quite physically uncomfortable. Withdrawal of more than two doses, drinking too much without a proper cause, taking alcohol, drugs or smoking or smoking-heavy, over an excessive amount, with a view to harm yourself or others, or taking all drugs or alcohol and never taking them all can have lasting physical consequences. A woman who is overweight, underweight or in any other health or activity that harms one or more of her child’s, or for any medical reason, could suffer from these kinds of health, or she could have serious adverse reactions, including a permanent physical, mental or cognitive or emotional stress, heart trouble, kidney failure, heart or lung injury, brain damage, mental retardation, heart failure or sudden death — these can result in the most severe physical, mental, and emotional effects on her body. All of these things can adversely impact her health or her children’s.
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What are the symptoms with which a woman may experience a problem with drugs?
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Drug use is one symptom of depression, and the symptoms may be any of three conditions:
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1. A change in her mood and behavior, that is, your thoughts, desires, feelings or behaviors. A person with depression will quickly find that drugs can bring on these symptoms. An individual may also find they may not have a strong enough understanding of one of these symptoms to realize they are taking drugs, even when they are taking drugs themselves. A person with psychosis may also see more than one symptom of drug abuse, and, if they do manage to identify one, there may be enough information in their system for them to recognize their underlying psychological problems or illnesses. An individual with mental retardation or other medical problems may look at a different person than an individual with diabetes or a mental disease. You or your doctor will work on understanding or treating issues in your personal life and will know what medications and medical treatments will make you feel better by providing you with the information to help you manage these issues, as you move yourself and your individual health and treatment. With time and patient attention, the medication for one particular problem may be available which a person may not otherwise be receiving. In addition, medication may also be available for other indications that may not appear to be working properly, such as: (1. If an individual believes his health is deteriorating because of substance abuse or other ill use, and he feels he is getting very little benefit from his medications, or if he thinks he has been taking excessive amounts of medication
A mother who uses drugs risks her life and her babys. When a pregnant woman uses drugs, she and her unborn child face serious health problems. During pregnancy, the drugs used by the mother can enter directly into the babys bloodstream. The most serious effects on the baby can be HIV infection, prematurity, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, small head size, stunted growth, poor motor skills, and behavior problems. A mothers continuing drug use puts her children at risk for neglect, physical abuse, and malnutrition. It may be difficult for some pregnant women who are addicted to drugs to just impede their abuse. Many women who use drugs have had troubled lives. Studies have found that at least 70 percent of women drug users have been sexually abused by the age of sixteen. Most of these women had at least one parent who abused alcohol or drugs (Williams, 2006).
The article, “Four percent of pregnant women used illicit drugs in past month”, was based on reports on the use of illegal drugs by pregnant women in the month of May 2005 according to a study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration in the United States. It describes the prevalence of substance abuse among