Some drugs may be harmful to an unborn baby

Women who are pregnant or still planning to get pregnant should make an inventory of the medications or drugs that they take as some may be harmful to their unborn baby.

Drugs or medications that may be dangerous to the fetus are epilepsy drugs, antibiotics, treatment for severe acne, drugs for the treatment of heart disease and psychiatric drugs.

In a study conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada, it was discovered that a large percentage of women exposed to such drugs either had pregnancy terminations or babies born with defects.

The experts were quoted as saying, "The prevalence of prescribed medications before, during and after pregnancy was compared between time-window. Pregnancy outcomes were also estimated among pregnancies ending with a live born infant."

The results of the pregnancy research 

The NCBI quoted the following result (verbatim).

• QPC included 289,688 pregnancies of 186,165 women. Among them, 167,398 ended with a delivery representing 19.4% of all deliveries occurring in the Province of Quebec between 1998–2009.
• "The total frequency of abortions was 35.9% in the QPC comparable to the 36.4% observed in the Province of Quebec. The prevalence of prescribed medication use was 74.6%, 59.0%, and 79.6% before, during and after pregnancy, respectively."
• "Although there was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of use once the pregnancy was diagnosed (p<.01), post-pregnancy prescribed medication use returned above the pre-pregnancy level. The prevalence of pregnancy outcomes found in the QPC were similar to those observed in the Province of Quebec," NCBI quoted.

Experts advise women to plan their pregnancies to minimise risk of exposing their babies to such drugs. They should also understand the effects that certain drugs may have on their unborn baby.

When unsure as to how a certain medication can affect their babies, it is really wise for pregnant women to consult their doctors immediately.

Also read: Sleep problems during pregnancy and what you can do about it