Impact of Drugs on the Fetus
Introduction
The fetus, which is an unborn baby in the womb, is directly affected by the lifestyle of the mother. As such, using drugs during pregnancy can have adverse consequences to the fetus. Dangerous drugs are not only illegal drugs like marijuana and cocaine but also using alcohol, and over-the-counter medication can impose permanent damage to the fetus. The problems that can be caused by drugs to an unborn baby include underweight babies, premature babies, and stillborn births. The child could also have developmental issues such as physical disabilities, brain damage, short memory, and lack of attentiveness. These effects could all be permanent damages that can hardly be cured. This paper offers illumination of the impact of drugs, especially smoking, on the fetus. Therefore, if one is pregnant and desires to deliver a healthy baby, they should try as much as possible to stay clear of drugs.
Literature review
Every year, there is an increased number of cases of babies born with complications that arise from the use of drugs. For instance, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are a category of conditions that are found in children whose mothers consumed alcohol. According to NHS England, at least 61 000 women smoke while they are pregnant and also the period after delivering (Boseley, 2019). This also implies that at least 1 in every 5 women smokes during pregnancy. NHS England further cautioned that expectant mothers should stop smoking and drinking because they are threatening their lives and that of their babies. As the chief midwifery officer for England, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent puts it, “No woman should have to experience the heartbreak of stillbirths, and quitting smoking is absolutely vital for a healthy mum and a healthy baby” (Boseley, 2019). Therefore, women should avoid drinking and smoking at all costs when they are pregnant.
According to a recent study from Public Health England (PHE) and the Office for National Statistics, 19% of the adult population between ages 25 and 34 were pone to smoking, 8% of those who were above 65 were likely to smoke, while 6% of school children aged between 11 and 15 would find themselves smoking (Boseley, 2019). Evidently, the highest percentage of smokers belongs to the age group between 25 and 34, which is the child-bearing age. Smokers and drinkers are most likely addicts, which makes it quite a difficult task to stop when one is pregnant.
Methodology
To understand the impact that smoking mothers bring on their unborn babies, the condition of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs) is investigated and analyzed. A research method is conducted with the aim of finding out the relationship between SUID and maternal smoking. A logistics regression model is established against a generalized additive model and carried out at a center of disease control and prevention (Anderson et al., 2019). The center provides a yes or no smoking chart for pregnant mothers and the number of cigarettes smoked per day before and during the pregnancy. The two models are then utilized in finding adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of the two sets of information.
The logistics regression model analyzed the level of risk of smoking before and during pregnancy by using the average number of cigarettes as a categorical variable. The generalized additive model, on the other hand, uses the number of cigarettes smoked during the 3 trimesters of the pregnancy as a continuous numerical variable without calculating their average (Anderson et al., 2019). The level of SUIDs is also investigated to find out whether it increased or decreased depending on the number of cigarettes a pregnant woman smoked. Some women quit in the middle of the pregnancy, while others only reduced the amount of intake. Those who completely stop smoking by the third trimester are considered to have quit. Those who reduce the number of cigarettes to two times less than the number they often take daily are considered reduced smokers. Those who smoke the same number throughout the pregnancy are put in the category of continued smokers.
The same method is also used on a database of pregnant women who go for the no side on the smoking chart. This means that they do not smoke at all during their pregnancy. The effectiveness of this method will be to compare the results of the models against the number of cases of sudden unexpected infant deaths that occur when the mothers give birth. In other words, the number of births is compared against the number of SUID cases.
Results
For women who smoked during pregnancy, 55% continued smoking up to the delivery time, 20% reduced the number of cigarettes to 0 before the third trimester; hence they had quit, 24% of them only reduced the number but continued smoking. The 55% increased their risk for SUIDs, the 20% slightly reduced their risk, whereas the 24% greatly reduced their risk. The two models hence disclosed a notable relationship between cigarettes and SUIDs. The continued smoking category had a high adjusted odds ratio (AOR), which indicates that the SUID is likely to happen, whereas those who quit had a lower AOR (Anderson et al., 2019). Generally, 22% of all the SUID cases that occur within the research method databases were attributed to women who smoked while pregnant.
Discussion
The effects that smoking has on a fetus are almost the same as the effects that other drugs have. Both illegal and legal drugs and medication can negatively impact a fetus. Illegal drugs include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants. Legal drugs are such as alcohol and cigarettes, whereas over-the-counter medication could be pain killers, anti-inflammatory drugs, salicylates, and warfarin, just to name a few (Bailey &Diaz-Barbos, 2018). The increased use of drugs by pregnant women has become a great problem in the public health sector. This is because the effects of drugs are detrimental to both the mother and the baby. Additionally, the negative effects can be permanent and affect a child throughout their lives.
Cigarettes are composed of chemicals such as carbon monoxide and tar and a drug known as nicotine. These substances are all harmful to the body. For instance, when nicotine comes into contact with the fallopian tubes, it causes contractions which further stop the embryo from moving (Anderson et al., 2019). Thus, the mother may either have an ectopic pregnancy that will have to be removed; otherwise, the mother could lose her life, or if the fallopian tubes were not affected and the mother delivers, the baby could suddenly die in a Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) condition caused by difficulty in breathing.
The drugs reach the unborn baby from the mother in particular ways. Biologically, the placenta controls the movement of the contents of intakes from the mother to the unborn baby in the womb. This means that everything the mother takes, including drugs, can possibly find its way inside the fetal system through the placenta. Drugs like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana enter the placenta either through vasoconstriction, lipid solubility, and molecular weight (Bailey & Diaz-Barbos, 2018). Excessive use of drugs by the mother can lead to fetal disorders such as difficulty in breathing and intrauterine growth restrictions (Bailey & Diaz-Barbos, 2018). These disorders could eventually bring about the death of the unborn baby.
Over-the-counter medication has also proven to cause harm to the fetus. Despite the fact that most mothers are often aware of the dangers of using drugs during pregnancy, there are some scenarios that prevent a mother from abruptly stopping the use of a drug. Sometimes a pregnant woman may have valid reasons to use certain drugs during pregnancy. For instance, methadone may be used to hinder drug relapse when a woman is pregnant (Bailey & Diaz-Barbos, 2018). In such a scenario, the lives of both the mother and the fetus should be taken into consideration before advising the mother to stop the medication.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the use of drugs is common among pregnant women across the world. However, drugs can be quite detrimental, especially to the fetus. The type of drug does not matter since both illegal and legal drugs have negative fetal effects. It is because of the negative impacts reason that mothers are strictly advised against substance abuse and careless use of over–the–counter medication. A study was conducted to understand the effects of smoking on the fetus, and it was found that smoking cigarettes before and during pregnancy highly increases the risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs). Therefore, for one to have a healthy baby, they should completely avoid drugs when they are pregnant.
Annotated Bibliography
Anderson, T. M., Ferres, J. M. L., Ren, S. Y., Moon, R. Y., Goldstein, R. D., Ramirez, J. M., & Mitchell, E. A. (2019). Maternal smoking before and during pregnancy and the risk of sudden unexpected infant death. Pediatrics, 143(4).
Anderson, Ferres, Ren, Moon, Goldstein, Ramirez, and Mitchell carried out research on maternal smoking during pregnancy. They aimed to identify the relationship between smoking and the condition known as Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID). This is because at least 3500 infants die within 1 year after being born. The researchers focused on the centers for disease control and prevention and managed to investigate 20 685 463 births and 19 127 SUIDs. They utilized a retrospective, cross-sectional study to conduct the research. To successfully complete the research, they employed two models known as the logistics regression model and generalized additive model. They then calculated adjusted odds ratios using the data on how frequent mothers smoked cigarettes before and during pregnancy.
This scholarly source is useful for this research paper because it helps to practically drive the message home. It is an experiment that has been carried hence giving primary evidence on the effects of this particular drug on the fetus. It is found that infants whose mothers smoke cigarettes during pregnancy had a high chance of developing the SUIDs conditions compared to women who quit or did not smoke at all during pregnancy. Ultimately, the source shows that maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for the well-being of the fetus. Additionally, the research is of much higher resolution than earlier research.
Bailey, N. A., & Diaz-Barbos M. (2018, November). Effect of Maternal Substance Abuse on the Fetus, Neonate, and Child. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30385584/
Bailey and Diaz-Barbos report about the effects of maternal substance abuse on the fetus, Neonate, and child. The report declares that the use of drugs during pregnancy could cause adverse effects on the fetus. The placenta transfers drugs and substances from the mother to the fetus. Once the drugs get inside the baby through vasoconstriction, lipid solubility, or molecular weight, they affect the flow of blood in the placenta. Interference with the flow of blood can prevent the fetus from breathing normally or lead to intrauterine growth restriction. These effects can further cause premature delivery, low birth weight, and stillbirths. The authors also report that for medications, mothers may know the effects of using over-the-counter drugs while pregnant, but it is sometimes necessary to use them due to medical conditions. In such cases, the drugs may be discontinued but on the condition that both the lives of the unborn baby and the mother are considered.
This source is relevant for this paper because it gives an account of the events that happen in the body in order for the fetus to be affected by the drugs. It explains how the placenta is the connection between the mother and the fetus, and it transfers nutrients from the mother to the fetus. It also identifies the ways in which the flow of blood is affected by the drugs and the resulting disorders that occur thereafter. It also explains how to go about medications that mothers have to take. Mainly, the article clearly shows the impact of drugs on the fetus hence contributing to the thesis of this research paper.
Boseley, S. (2019, July 02). Pregnant smokers warned of ‘potentially deadly risks’. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/02/pregnant-smokers-warned-deadly-risks
Boseley reports about pregnant women being warned of potentially deadly risks in smoking. NHS England found that at least 61 000 women smoked at the time of giving birth and warned of the detrimental effects of smoking. The article retrieves the data from Public Health England (PHE) and the Office for National Statistics that says 19% of women of ages between 25 and 34 were likely to smoke, whereas 8% of women aged 65% and above were also likely to smoke. It was also found that 1 in every 5 pregnant women smoked cigarettes. This shows that smoking is not a new thing in pregnant women, and it is, in fact, a trend that continues to raise alarms in the public health sector.
This article is relevant to the literature review of this study because it shows statistical evidence of drug use. It reports the number of women who are likely to smoke, which shows that women of child-bearing age are the ones who mostly smoke. The article is useful because it utilizes information from research bodies like Public Health England and the Office of National Statistics to convey the message that there are actually a large number of women who use drugs when they are pregnant. The article not only provides statistical evidence but also warns pregnant women of the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes on both the unborn baby and the mother. Therefore, this article contributes to the thesis of the research paper, and it is also useful for the literature review part of the paper.
References
Anderson, T. M., Ferres, J. M. L., Ren, S. Y., Moon, R. Y., Goldstein, R. D., Ramirez, J. M., & Mitchell, E. A. (2019). Maternal smoking before and during pregnancy and the risk of sudden unexpected infant death. Pediatrics, 143(4).
Bailey, N. A., & Diaz-Barbos M. (2018, November). Effect of Maternal Substance Abuse on the Fetus, Neonate, and Child. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30385584/
Boseley, S. (2019, July 02). Pregnant smokers warned of ‘potentially deadly risks’. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/02/pregnant-smokers-warned-deadly-risks
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