Medicines taken during pregnancy can cause premature birth, birth defects and can increase the risk of asthma in children.
A study by the University of Quebec, Canada, shows that more than 63 percent of pregnant women took, at least once, pills without a doctor’s recommendation during pregnancy. Here are the risks you run if you do this.
Paracetamol can cause premature births
Anti-inflammatory drugs taken excessively during pregnancy can influence the health of the pregnant woman, as well as the fetus, with long-term consequences. Pills containing ibuprofen, most often paracetamol, taken for several weeks in a row, can cause premature births. However, there are situations when the medical condition of the pregnant woman requires the administration of paracetamol, such as in fever or flu conditions, which can be more harmful to the fetus than the active medicinal substance. For this reason, influenza vaccination is recommended for pregnant women.
Folic acid should not be taken throughout pregnancy
The risk of having a child suffering from asthma is 30 percent higher in the case of women who took folic acid after the 30th week of pregnancy, draw the attention of researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia. They stated that folic acid is necessary in the first trimester of pregnancy to prevent spina bifida and other congenital defects, but an inadequate intake (greater than 400 micrograms) after the end of this period presents real dangers for the fetus. Some doctors recommend stopping folic acid administration even earlier, after the 13th week of pregnancy.
Antidepressants increase the risk of sudden death syndrome
Premature babies whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy have a higher risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome, according to a University of Calgary study. Sudden death syndrome is not detectable, has no symptoms, is not treated and occurs in children up to one year old. Specialists believe that it is an inadaptability to the new living environment, which occurs in incorrectly or incompletely developed children, and the cause of these situations was the antidepressants administered to mothers during pregnancy.
Vitamin A, dangerous in pregnancy
The daily dose of vitamin A recommended by specialists is between 0.6-0.8 mg for adults, the maximum allowed dose being 1.5 mg per day. Taken during pregnancy, vitamin A can become toxic, causing excessive fatigue and drowsiness. Moreover, together with an inadequate consumption of other vitamins (B3, E or D), it can lead to abortions in advanced stages of pregnancy.
