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Drug use in pregnancy: estimates of abuse

المؤلف:  Sue Jickells , Adam Negrusz (Editors)

المصدر:  Clarkes Analytical Forensic Toxicology

الجزء والصفحة:  257

2026-10-20

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Drug use in pregnancy: estimates of abuse

The first nationally representative survey of maternal drug use was conducted under the auspices of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). In 1991, NIDA estimated that 5 million women of child bearing age were using illegal drugs, and in 1992 approximately 5% of the 4 million women who gave birth admitted illicit drug use during their pregnancy. The National Pregnancy and Health Survey collected data on 2613 women from 52 rural and urban hospitals (October 1992–August 1993) showing that approximately 5.5% of pregnant women admit to using illegal drugs. Marijuana was the most frequently reported drug, with 2.9% of women admitting use; cocaine users numbered 1.1%. Cigarette and alcohol use was even higher at 20.4% and 18.75%, respectively. The survey also noted ethnic differences in drug use, with the highest use of crack cocaine occurring in African American populations (4.5%) compared to 0.7% Hispanics and 0.4% caucasian women. White women had the highest rates of alcohol use (23%) compared to 15.8% of African Americans and 8.7% of Hispanics. Caucasian women also had the highest rates of cigarette smoking. More recent studies have used meconium to determine maternal drug use, and in 2000, the meconium of 8527 newborns was tested for drugs of abuse. The prevalence of cocaine/opiate exposure in that cohort was 10.7%, although exposure varied by geographical site and was higher in very low-birth-weight babies.