Medication use during pregnancy in relation to maternal characteristics

We studied the relationship between (potentially harmful) medication use during pregnancy and maternal characteristics (alcohol drinking, smoking, occupation, age, native language, education level) in a population-based study of 2060 women, who were delivered of infants in the catchment areas of 21 participating Child Health Clinics in The Netherlands between 1988 to 1989. Of all women, 23% reported the use of at least one drug. We could not confirm the hypothesis that women who engage in "risk-taking" behaviour during pregnancy, such as drinking and smoking, use more drugs while pregnant. The only statistically significant relationship we found was that between potentially harmful drug use and educational level of the women. Mothers with the lowest educational level consumed almost four times more of these drugs than mothers with the highest educational level. This finding suggests that women with a relatively low educational level may be less aware of the potentially harmful effects of medication use during pregnancy.