Medical and Psychologic Risks of Maternal Cocaine Use.

The growing use of crack-cocaine by women of child-bearing age poses significant management problems for physicians. Both animal and human studies suggest that cocaine exerts significant negative effects on maternal health, the course of pregnancy, and infant developmental outcome. Maternal pregnancy complications and increased rates of low birth weight and prematurity in infants who are fetally exposed are well documented. However, available studies of neurobehavioral outcomes for cocaine-exposed infants are still inconclusive. Physicians need to become knowledgeable about the potential effects of maternal drug addiction during pregnancy to provide appropriate medical care.