Drug Check for Pregnant Women

She’s pregnant! She has quit smoking, settled for mocktails, given up the pill – cleansed herself of all potential deterrents that might affect the one who will join her around soon. But she has these mild aches and pains on and off and after an aspirin or two, she feels a lot better. For those who don’t sniff a problem in this scenario, this read would help clear the cobwebs.

Different bodies respond differently to the drug, hence drug treatment during pregnancy is unique – a drug beneficial for the mother may not necessarily suit the foetus. The effects either show up immediately or at times, year after childbirth. For instance, thalidomide was prescribed for vomiting in early pregnancy. The newborn to these women were with missing limbs and forearms. Likewise, DES (diethyl-stilbestrol) was prescribed to women with history of recurrent miscarriages, which resulted in structural abnormalities of the genital tract, virilisation of the female foetus, vaginal adenosis and clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina in adolescent girls. In DES exposed male foetuses, it is non-neoplastic abnormalities of the genital tract cryptoorchidism.

Mostly, in the firs week after conception and before implantation, the potentially harmful drug takes its toll. The embryo either dies or the damaged cells get replaced by undifferentiated cells which, however, have the potential to develop normally. During organogenesis, harmful drugs can lead to congenital malformations and severe damage may even result in abortion. During the second and third trimesters drugs can affect the growth and functional development of the foetus.

The effect of the drug, however, depends on a number of factors like the chemical composition of the drug, dosage and duration and time of administration. You may grudgingly conclude that almost no drug is really safe for pregnant women. The teratogenic potential of drugs rarely used during pregnancies or those newly brought out in the market, cannot be completely comprehended. Hence all physicians, while prescribing medicines to women ion their child bearing age, should first do a pregnancy check. No drug should be administered to the pregnant woman unless it benefits her more than it risks the foetus. The smallest effective dose for the shortest duration can be a solution. A woman on medication of a nature not advisable during pregnancy can wait for the treatment to be over before going for a baby. A careful note of drugs prescribed to pregnant women should be maintained in order correlate with any congenital defects detected later. Wish all moms in the making of a happy and safe pregnancy.