Exposing fetal drug exposure
L DeVane1, L M Goetzl, S Ramamoorthy
1Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. devaneL@musc.edu
Pregnancy neither protects women from susceptibility to illness nor generally decreases drug dosage requirements of preexisting pharmacotherapy. Thus, a major concern of drug use during pregnancy is maintenance of maternal health while minimizing fetal drug exposure. Important assumptions in reproductive medicine are that fetal exposure to any medication can present risks in pregnancy--because not all risks are known, as little exposure as possible is desirable.
Pregnancy neither protects women from susceptibility to illness nor generally decreases drug dosage requirements of preexisting pharmacotherapy. Thus, a major concern of drug use during pregnancy is maintenance of maternal health while minimizing fetal drug exposure. Important assumptions in reproductive medicine are that fetal exposure to any medication can present risks in pregnancy--because not all risks are known, as little exposure as possible is desirable.
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