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Prescription drugs

Certain drugs or medicines can affect your chances of becoming pregnant and could go on to harm the baby in the womb. Equally, you may require medication for your own continued good health. If you take a prescribed medicine on a regular basis, be sure to discuss this with your doctor before you attempt to get pregnant.

When planning on getting pregnant or, indeed, if you are pregnant, you should not take street drugs. These are all potentially harmful to your baby. Some, like cocaine, can lead to birth abnormalities; others, such as heroin, methadone, amphetamines and marijuana, can affect the growth of your unborn baby so that it will be small. There is also an increased risk of premature delivery, bleeding from the placenta and an increased risk of infant death. The baby may also suffer from drug withdrawal symptoms after delivery as these drugs cross into the baby’s body while it is in the womb. The baby’s later development in childhood can also be impaired. In addition, there is a much higher rate of complications to the woman in pregnancy, such as anaemia, infections such as hepatitis and HIV and septicemia from infected needles, and thrombosis (blood clots).