Pregnant Women and Addiction

Pregnancy is a precious gift that most women receive at some point in their life, some of them with a few conception problems facing fertility treatments, some others at unwanted or unexpected times but a possibility for all of them, including women with addictions.

Every year several health care centers across the United States admit women of childbearing years between the ages of 16 to 38 for detoxification for substance or drug abuse. Many of those centers have formed support groups for pregnant women who are using alcohol or other drugs for long periods of time, including those still abusing them despite their pregnancy.

Support centers work with other community members, family and friends close to the pregnant women in order to identify common problems, planning and carry out strategies to address them to reduce consequences that may naturally occur to women engaged in risky behavior during a critical moment of her life and the life of her unborn child.

This support allows women to look at their pregnancy from a different approach, helping them to reduce the harm to themselves and their developing babies. Education of addicted pregnant women is a must; teaching them the effects of low birth weight, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other negative consequences resulting from the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy.

Support centers are open to general public, so other women can join to learn more and advise their daughters timely, particularly those mothers with teen girls. Promoting a substance-abuse free lifestyle for women of childbearing years will increase awareness and knowledge in the community.