What You Should Know About Pregnancy & Addiction

by Magz, posted in Info & Research, Sponsored Posts

This infographic is provided by Vanguard Behavioral Health

Infographic PDF: What You Should Know About Pregnancy & Addiction

Infographic Text-Only PDF: What You Should Know About Pregnancy & Addiction

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The highest risk of developing a substance use disorder for women is between the ages of 18 to 29 years old. The most commonly reported substance used during pregnancy is tobacco, followed by alcohol, cannabis and then other illicit substances. The risk of stillbirth increases by 23% in habitual smokers. 5% of women use one or more addictive substances during pregnancy. Every 25 minutes, a baby is born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a group of conditions involving infant withdrawal from drugs exposed to while in the womb.
RISKS OF SUBSTANCE USE DURING PREGNANCY • Behavioral and developmental problems • Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders • Low birth weight • Miscarriage • Neonatal abstinence syndrome • Placenta abruption • Premature birth • Stillbirth • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
COMMON REASONS FOR DRUG USE DURING PREGNANCY AGE • Childbearing ages (15-44) coincide with atime when new life experiences are sought out, and drug use may begin INABILITY TO QUIT • Daily smokers, heavy drinkers and long-term drug abusers find it the hardest to quit, with only 1 in 3 smokers being able to quit in the prenatal period. POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION • Struggling to cope with or adapt to lifestyle changes leads an estimated 15% of new mothers to be affected by postpartum depression, increasing their risk of substance abuse. PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS • Some of these drugs are highly addictive and, without careful monitoring, the mother may become dependent and cause harm to the baby. UNPLANNED PREGNANCY • As nearly half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended or mistimed, women may continue risky alcohol consumption or drug use and inadvertently harm the baby.

Sources:

  • vertavahealth.com/addiction-resources/pregnancy
  • addictionresource.com/guides/drug-use-during-pregnancy
  • ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books
  • addictionresource.com/guides/drug-use-during-pregnancy
  • nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/substance-use-in-women/substance-use-while-pregnant-breastfeeding

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