cocaine embryofetopathy

Prenatal cocaine exposure

Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), theorized in the 1970s, occurs when a pregnant woman uses cocaine including crack cocaine and thereby exposes her fetus to the drug. Babies whose mothers used cocaine while pregnant supposedly have increased risk of several different health issues during growth and development and are colloquially known as crack babies. PCE is very difficult to study, because it rarely occurs in isolation; usually it coexists with a variety of other factors, which may confound a study's results. Pregnant mothers who use cocaine often use other drugs in addition, may be malnourished and lacking in medical care, are at risk of violence, and may neglect their children. Children with PCE in foster care may experience problems due to unstable family situations. Factors such as poverty that are frequently associated with PCE have a much stronger influence on children's intellectual and academic abilities than does exposure to cocaine in isolation. Thus, researchers have had difficulty in determining which effects result from PCE and which result from other factors in the children's histories. PCE is associated with premature birth, birth defects, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other conditions. The effects of cocaine on a fetus are thought to be similar to those of tobacco, and are less severe than those of alcohol. No scientific evidence has shown a difference in harm to a fetus between crack and powder cocaine. No specific disorders or conditions have been found to result from people whose mothers used cocaine while pregnant. PCE appears to hav...