Pregnancy and Drug Use

Summary

When you are pregnant, you are not just “eating for two.” You also breathe and drink for two. If you smoke, use alcohol or take illegal drugs, so does your unborn baby.

To protect your baby, you should avoid:

• Tobacco. Smoking during pregnancy passes nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other harmful chemicals to your baby. This could cause many problems for your unborn baby’s development. It raises the risk of your baby being born too small, too early, or with birth defects. Smoking can also affect babies after they are born. Your baby would be more likely to develop diseases such as asthma and obesity. There is also a higher risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Drinking alcohol. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe for a woman to drink during pregnancy. If you drink alcohol when you are pregnant, your child could be born with lifelong fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASD). Children with FASD can have a mix of physical, behavioral, and learning problems.
• Illegal drugs. Using illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines may cause underweight babies, birth defects, or withdrawal symptoms after birth.
• Misusing prescription drugs. If you are taking prescription medicines, carefully follow your health care provider’s instructions. It can be dangerous to take more medicines than you are supposed to, use them to get high, or take someone else’s medicines. For example, misusing opioids can cause birth defects, withdrawal in the baby, or even loss of the baby.

If you are pregnant and you are doing any of these things, get help. Your health care provider can recommend programs to help you quit. You and your baby’s health depend on it.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Patient Handouts

• Alcohol and pregnancy Medical Encyclopedia
• Neonatal abstinence syndrome Medical Encyclopedia

Specifics

• Alcohol during Pregnancy March of Dimes Foundation
• CDC Vital Signs: Alcohol and Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Cocaine and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
• Dextroamphetamine and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
• E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Heroin and Pregnancy March of Dimes Foundation
• Marijuana (Cannabis) and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
• Smoking During Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Smoking during Pregnancy March of Dimes Foundation
• What You Should Know About Using Cannabis, Including CBD, When Pregnant or Breastfeeding Food and Drug Administration

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Find an Ob-Gyn American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• FindTreatment.gov Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• March of Dimes Foundation March of Dimes Foundation
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institute on Drug Abuse

Teenagers

• Characteristics of Pregnant Teen Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy and Substance Use National Institutes of Health

Start Here

• Fetal Alcohol Exposure National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Substance Use during Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Encyclopedia

• Infant of a substance-abusing mother Medical Encyclopedia

Men

• Paternal Exposures and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists

Statistics and Research

• PeriStats: Perinatal Statistics March of Dimes Foundation
• Polysubstance Use During Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Substance Use While Pregnant and Breastfeeding National Institute on Drug Abuse
• What Treatment Is Available for Pregnant Mothers and Their Babies? National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Women and Tobacco Use American Lung Association

Related Issues

• Pregnant? Don’t Smoke! Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Journal Articles

• Pregnancy and Drug Use