Pregnancy and drug abuse: current situation and therapeutic strategies.

Drug abuse, a general public health problem, concerns a growing number of t he pregnant nomen. Pregnancy in a drug addict is a high risk condition. The prevention of neonatal and pediatric complications involving both organ ic and psychological renditions, requires early individual medical, psychol ogical and social support adapted to each pregnant addict. The risk for the mother and the fetus warrant prescription of substitution therapy during p regnancy, Published results concerning pregnancies in women on substitution therapy hare been encouraging and clearly show a decrease in maternal and fetal complications. These studies are however difficult to conduct and car ry a certain number of biases related to the social and economical contest of the patients and also to the type of drug abuse (multiple drugs, drug co mbinations, psychostimulants, smoking, alcohol).