Maternal drug therapy: effect on fetal and neonatal growth and neurobehavior

Fetal and neonatal growth retardation may result in long term neurological and mental morbidity. There are multiple causes for intrauterine growth retardation but one etiology proposed is maternal drugs. In many instances it is difficult to determine if the growth retardation is due to the drugs or it is due to the disease process for which the mother receives the drugs. Weight and FOC appear to be more adversely effected than length. Combination drug therapy, for example anticonvulsant drugs, results in a greater incidence in teratology, growth retardation and lower IQ than monotherapy. Neurobehavior can also be adversely effected by maternal drugs. Although symptoms may be limited to the first months of life there is some evidence that this abnormal behavior is a reflection of in utero neurological insult which becomes evident later as poor organizational, perceptual, reading and mathematical skills or even mental retardation.