The Risks of Drug Use in Pregnancy

Drugs like cocaine and marijuana can cause a lot of harm to a pregnancy. Many people of childbearing age in the United States use some form of drugs. 

Risks to the pregnant person

If you use drugs during pregnancy, you raise your risk for:

• Anemia.

• Blood and heart infections.

• Skin infections.

• Hepatitis.

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

• Other infectious diseases.

Risks to the baby

Almost every drug goes from your bloodstream through the placenta to the baby. Drugs that cause you to be addicted can also cause the baby to be addicted.

Marijuana

In some states, marijuana is legal. But if you are pregnant or breastfeeding you should still not use it. When used during pregnancy, it may be linked to cognitive and behavioral problems in the baby.

Cocaine

Use of this drug during pregnancy can lead to:

• Miscarriage.

• Preterm delivery of the baby.

• Premature detachment of the placenta.

• High blood pressure.

• Stillbirth.

The baby is more likely to have:

• Low birth weight.

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

• Growth defects.

• Hyperactivity.

• Behavioral problems.

• Learning problems.

Dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine

These can cause:

• Miscarriage.

• Preterm birth.

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDs).

• Signs of withdrawal in the newborn, such as shaking and trouble sleeping and feeding.

• Later problems in the baby with tremors and muscle tone.

Heroin and other opiates

This includes methadone. They can cause:

• Major withdrawal in the baby, with some symptoms lasting for weeks.

• Apnea (stopping breathing).

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDs).

• Feeding problems.

Talking with your doctor

If you use drugs and need help to quit, talk with your doctor. If you stop using drugs during the first trimester, you increase your chances of having a healthy baby.