here
and assume they already know that they shouldn't smoke or drink
alcohol). For a start, there's coffee. As a four double-cappuccino-a-day
man, I hate to offer any more ammunition to that huge legion of
coffee detractors out there (some people believe coffee is so
evil that they're trying, I'm sure, to get data to show negative
health effects from second-hand or passive caffeine exposure),
but I have to note that excess coffee intake has been linked to
a higher risk of miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy,
and a higher risk of pre-term labour (going into labour early)
The best advice, then, is to keep coffee intake (in fact, all
caffeinated beverages including cola drinks and tea) to a minimum.
.....Then there are those medications
known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (or |
more mercifully, NSAIDs), including such commonly used meds as
Ibuprofen and ASA, some of which have also been linked to a higher
risk of miscarriage. And if that isn't enough, a study in Pediatrics
concluded that women who use NSAIDs during pregnancy raise the
baby's risk of developing persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN),
a disorder in which the pressure in the arteries that supply blood
to the baby's lungs is too high and which can lead to cardiac
problems. PPHN is a rare condition, true, but since it is quite
serious, most moms would do anything they could to reduce their
baby's risk, and avoiding NSAIDs may help lower that risk.
.....In any case, the bottom line
is that if you feel you need to take ASA, other NSAIDs, (or any
drug) when pregnant, consult either your |
doctor
or your pharmacist first. Another great source of such information
(on the net or by phone) is the Motherisk Program from Toronto's
Hospital for Sick Children.
.....Here's another study about
pregnancy risks that many women - those that work outside the
home - are not going to like very much (nor, I can assure you,
will their husbands, who, like me, depend on their working wives'
incomes). A study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that working
outside the home during the final weeks of pregnancy may be
hazardous for the unborn child, because working expectant moms
had higher blood pressure levels during work days, leaving them
at
Dr.
Hister...Continued on Next Page
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