Does medication during pregnancy prove harmful?
Question: Does medication during pregnancy prove harmful?
The first 8 or 10 weeks of pregnancy see a very rapid growth of the foetus towards human features. The possibility of adverse side-effects of drugs is, therefore, greater in this period than at other times. Infections or other illnesses also pose hazards. They may precipitate miscarriage or congenital birth defects (e.g. mental retardation, heart disease, blindness, deformity of limbs). Therefore, during the first trimester of pregnancy NO medicine whatsoever should be taken WITHOUT previously consulting a doctor.
One should be especially wary of sleep-inducing drugs, tranquilizers, anti-depressants and such like. In recent times, it is the practice in developed countries to forbid even vitamins and tonics if the woman enjoys normal health.
After the first 3 months of pregnancy, the potential of drugs to harm mother and foetus is considerably reduced. However, antibiotics and analgesics continue to be hazardous to foetal development.
Only a doctor should decide on and prescribe medication for a pregnant woman. Drugs which affect the development of the foetus only slightly, do not become cause for undue worry. But, it might be necessary, indeed vital to the mother’s health to prescribe medicines which are positively harmful to the foetus. In such cases, abortion may be considered as the alternative to compromising the mother’s existence.
A weak or undernourished woman may be given doses of iron, vitamins or calcium. These are beneficial to the growth of the foetus as well.