Pregnant women face many barriers when trying to get help for their substance abuse problems. Many pregnant women seek out help through the community and treatment programs but find they are mainly male centered and do not cater to their personal needs. Other barriers they face are the fear of criminal prosecution and the fear of losing their current children to child protective services. Maternal substance abuse continues to be a growing problem today. Educating more mothers on the consequences of abusing substances while pregnant will help reduce the number of children affected by this significant problem.
Extensive alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to a very detrimental and potentially fatal disorder known as fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes mental retardation, diminished motor coordination, and distinct facial abnormalities. Facial abnormalities caused by FAS can include short eyelid openings, small upturned noses, small head, thin upper lip, and widely spaced eyes (Berk,
Drug abuse is a major social and medical problem in the United States. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, or NIDA nine million women in the United States are substance abusers. Three million use prescription drugs illicitly. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecology, or ACOG, reports that 1 in 10 babies are born to mothers who abuse drugs during pregnancy. Substance abuse can have devastating effects on both the mother and her unborn child (Effects of drug abuse on pregnant women).
Less important disabilities include: mental health troubles; unsuitable sexual behavior; disrupted school experience; trouble with the law; detention through incarceration for a crime or inpatient treatment for mental health, or alcohol and drug abuse troubles (Barry, 2008). The confused routine of the addicted mother tends to lend itself to home surroundings containing neglect and poor parental influences. Often times, a woman who abuses drugs throughout pregnancy will mistreatment drugs after the birth of the child. Drug and alcohol abuse through any member of the family can lead to chronic volatility, disharmony, and possible violence such that a child's psychosocial, developmental, behavioral, and learning competencies can become gravely compromised. In addition, substance-using mothers have been found to have less prenatal care were more likely to be hospitalized as a consequence of aggression (Sharon,
(Ross Parke & Mary Gauvain 2009). Teratogens are the name given to external agents that can disturb the development or an embryo or fetus. These teratogens can be environmental like smoking or the consumption of alcohol. However they can also be influenced by maternal factors like the age and diet of the mother. In this essay I will examine how smoking, alcohol and the mother’s diet influence prenatal development.
Cocaine at that time affected 300 000 to 400 000 newborns in the united states alone in the 1990s (Schoenwolf et al, 2009). The problem still persists however. In some major cities in the united states, as many as 20% of babies are born to mothers who abuse cocaine (Preece and Edward, 2011). There are many ways in which abuse of cocaine can negatively impact an embryo and fetus during its development. One difficulty with researching this specific population is the ability to isolate cocaine as the sole teratogen.
Prenatal exposure to substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs result in numerous castes of irreversible birth defects. Birth defects related to drinking, smoking, and the intake of illegal drugs are entirely preventable. Research has shown that approximately twenty percent of all women consume alcohol or smoke a cigarette during their pregnancy; four percent of those women consume some manner of an illegal drug such as marijuana or cocaine. Susceptibility to these substances ensue in birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), low body weight, sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS), and mental retardation just to name a few. Abstinence of such substances is the best way to ensure the birth of a healthy baby.
Two-thirds of women sufferers only get their headaches around the time of their period. Migraines in women are usually worse around puberty and they tend to disappear around menopause (1996-2012). At times what generates migraine is certain types of foods like; alcohol (especially red wine and beer), tobacco, aged cheeses, chocolate, fermented, pickled, or marinated foods, monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, and caffeine(1996-2012). Other triggers could be
Because many carbonated drinks are high in caffeine, they are mildly addictive. Girls from ages 12-19 consume an average of 59mg of caffeine per day. On the other hand, boys consume an average of 89mg of caffeine per day. The high calorie content of drinks may add to increasing rate of obesity in youth. Overweight adolescents are likely to become underweight adults.
This act should be null and void, since a physician should not be allowed to deny aid to one in need. Even though the Hippocratic Oath is not taken up by all physicians, it still should be followed, since it contains guidelines of how to be a “good” physician. It states in the Hippocratic Oath that a physician is “to practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try and avoid harming them.” In other words, a physician must not harm a patient, whether it is making mistakes or denying them aid. When someone is in need of medical assistance, a physician should not deny it just because he does not want to. Their top priority as a doctor is to help others, and one is not helping someone by denying them aid.