Tag: Pregnant Women

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Effects of Substance Use During Pregnancy

Substances like alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs can greatly affect the mother and child during pregnancy and cause complications during and after birth. Sometimes, the mother isn’t aware of her pregnancy and may use substances as if she weren’t carrying. In any case, using substances while pregnant can alter the health of the mother, the fetus, and the baby as it grows in and out of the womb.

Knowing the effects of substance use beforehand can help those who know they’re pregnant or think they may become pregnant carefully assess the risks to plan ahead for a healthier birth and pregnancy.

Understanding Substance Use During Pregnancy

Substance use during pregnancy can look like taking drugs that aren’t approved for pregnant people, like alcohol. These drugs have been identified as dangerous for the mother and fetus or potentially harmful. 

Common substances used during pregnancy, whether done intentionally or not, include alcohol, nicotine, some prescription medications (like prescribed opioids), and illicit drugs like cocaine or heroin. Studies found roughly 5% of pregnant women use substances while pregnant1.

Much of what mothers consume while pregnant reaches their infant because the placenta is easily permeable—including addictive and non-addictive substances.

Effects of Alcohol Use During Pregnancy

Alcohol can have damaging effects on a developing fetus throughout each stage of pregnancy1, even before mothers realize they’re pregnant. Drinking while pregnant can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders (FASD), which includes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other birth defects caused by alcohol.

FASDs cause cognitive, physical, and behavioral damage2 that may show right after birth or later on in childhood. Alcohol can disrupt the development of vital organs, like the brain, heart, and how the body functions as a whole. Heavy drinking can cause the most damage, especially when it occurs throughout the entire pregnancy. But no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy2. And with many pregnancies not being planned, doctors recommend women not to drink even while they’re trying to get pregnant or think they might be2.

Children born with a FASD may have defining facial features, cognitive impairments, and related behavioral problems. 

Effects of Tobacco Use During Pregnancy

Smoking while pregnant can harm the mother and baby3 in several ways. It can lead to:

  • Premature births
  • Low birth-weight even if the baby is to term
  • Damage to the baby’s lungs and brain
  • Birth defects
  • Higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
  • A doubled risk for excessive bleeding at birth and during pregnancy

Smoking can also create issues with fertility3 for both the mother and father. Nicotine can affect the fetus throughout the whole pregnancy—some mothers give birth to healthy babies, but that doesn’t guarantee they can smoke through a second pregnancy and get the same results. Smoking while pregnant can even result in a stillbirth (a deceased baby born after 20 weeks). Quitting at any point during the pregnancy can reduce the likelihood of all negative effects.

Second-hand smoke can also cause damage. Pregnant mothers can reduce their risks by quitting smoking and limiting their exposure to second-hand smoke. 

Effects of Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy

Using illicit drugs when pregnant can double or even triple the chances of a stillbirth1. These types of drugs include heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and psychedelics like psilocybin. Since drugs pass easily through the placenta and into the developing fetus, babies can be born reliant, and addicted, to the substance their mother used. This is called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Symptoms and Recovery

NAS correlates to illicit or prescribed opioids used during pregnancy4. Babies born with NAS greet the world in a state of withdrawal, experiencing irritability, stomach issues, seizures, and trembling. Babies with NAS also cry excessively and with a higher pitch than normal.

Medical care can help babies detox4 from substances safely and with greater comfort. Some babies require benzodiazepines, morphine, or methadone to relieve symptoms. They can recover to full health.

Effects of Prescription Medication Use During Pregnancy

Some prescribed medications aren’t fit to use during pregnancy—doctors should make women well-aware of this if they’re trying to conceive or are already pregnant. When pregnant women take prescribed medications against doctor’s advice, or procure them from non-medicinal places, it can harm them and their baby. 

These medications include benzodiazepines, opioids, and stimulants like Adderall. Most medications, prescribed or over the counter, haven’t been well-studied in regards to how they affect pregnant women and babies. A study found 9 out of 10 pregnant women took medications1—many of whom don’t know how it might affect their developing fetus, which is why providing a list of all medications taken can help doctors identify any risks.

Some medications can cause NAS, like oxycodone. Other medications may cause no harm, but it’s best to let doctors make the final call.

Combined Substance Use and Its Effects

Using more than one substance, or polysubstance use, can create more pronounced health effects for the mom and baby. For example, a pregnant woman who smokes and drinks alcohol imposes greater health risks to herself and the baby than someone only smoking or only drinking. 

The more substances passing through the placenta to the baby, the more likely they’ll have a negative effect on their development and future health. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says1,

Children born to mothers who both drank and smoked beyond the first trimester of pregnancy have a twelvefold increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) compared to those unexposed or only exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Psychological and Emotional Impact on Pregnant Women

Taking drugs during pregnancy can have a host of emotional and psychological effects on women. They may feel low or depressed as a result of their substance use, especially when that combines with hormone fluctuations. Regular substance use can cause a cyclical effect, where highs are followed by extreme lows and cause someone to continue their use to mitigate the lows.

Impaired mothers may also struggle to bond with their baby once they’re born. Drug use can affect the parts of the brain that help mothers bond with their baby5, making it difficult for them to form a secure parental relationship. This can impact their connection and parenting style throughout the baby’s life.

Preventative Measures and Treatment Options

One of the first steps in preventing substance use during pregnancy is testing regularly (or as needed) for pregnancy if using substances—or don’t use substances at all if you’re hoping to conceive. 

Educating men and women on the dangers of substance use during pregnancy can help mothers and partners understand and evaluate risks, and then adjust their behaviors accordingly. Knowing these risks before pregnancy can help mothers adequately prepare and create a substance-free environment for their baby to form and grow.

If you’re struggling with an active addiction and become pregnant, you can attend recovery programs and rehabs specifically for pregnant women (there’s a lot!). These programs account for you and your baby, addressing your needs with appropriate medical care, therapies, and prenatal care to support a healthy, full-term pregnancy.

If babies are born with substance-related complications, hospital staff can initiate a detox for the baby with medications to ease their withdrawals. Some birth defects caused by substances can’t be treated or reversed, but medical care can treat some symptoms throughout the person’s life.

Support Systems and Resources

Friends, loved ones, and medical staff can offer key support for pregnant women, helping them navigate addiction treatment if needed, and the journey of pregnancy. Women can join various support groups too, like 12-Step peer meetings or non-12-Step groups like SMART Recovery meetings. Prenatal clinics may also offer support groups to educate women on child-raising, best practices for their health, and to connect women to resources for housing, mental health care, and other personal needs. 
If pregnant women need to detox and/or get addiction treatment, they can go to one of the many rehabs with specialized care for pregnant women. Some rehabs will also offer services and help for other children, helping pregnant mothers attend treatment when childcare needs may otherwise prevent them.

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How Does Addiction Affect Women?

Women healing from addiction and mental health conditions face distinct risks and challenges. Your sex and gender can impact the way your body responds to substances. While we need more data about people of many genders, we know that women often use drugs for different reasons than men. Women also face unique cultural pressures that can make addiction more likely. Women-only rehabs offer a safe space for women to work through these challenges. 

The Relationship Between Gender and Addiction

It’s important to note that most addiction research to date focuses on men and women. We need more data about the impacts of addiction on people of all genders. However, it can still be helpful to learn about how addiction affects different genders differently. 

Physiology and Addiction

Some physiological factors uniquely impact people assigned female at birth, whatever their gender. For example, many people with bodies assigned female at birth have a lower total percentage of body water1 than those assigned male at birth. This means it takes less alcohol for them to feel just as intoxicated. 

It’s also possible that men and women respond to substances differently. Experts report, “a number of studies have suggested that, relative to men, women may have an accelerated course of substance use,2 progressing more rapidly from initiation of substance use to problems with substances, and from problems with substances to treatment-seeking.”

Societal Challenges for Women

Women face certain social pressures, whether or not they were assigned female at birth. For example, data shows that both trans and cis women have higher rates of eating disorders3 than cis men. 

People of all genders feel shame about addiction.4 But these difficult emotions are stronger in women, especially those with children. Women are also more likely to feel a sense of stigma around addiction. And that, even more than the feeling of guilt, can be a barrier to treatment.

Women’s reasons for using drugs5 are also different from men’s. Men usually drink and use drugs for fun or to take risks. Women, on the other hand, use substances to regulate their mood, reduce stress, and find relief from difficult life experiences. If you’re using drugs to cope with your life, it’s easy to develop addiction. What’s more, data shows that women become addicted more quickly than men. 

What Types of Addiction Are Women Prone To?

While men are more likely to abuse substances6 in the first place, women are more prone to some types of  addiction. Women are also at a higher risk for certain mental health conditions. 

Alcohol

Because they typically weigh less than men, it takes less alcohol for women to become intoxicated.7 Most women also have lower levels of the digestive enzymes that break down alcohol. 

This means that drinking exposes women’s bodies to higher concentrations of alcohol. And that exposure lasts longer for women than it does for men. These factors make women more vulnerable to alcohol addiction. 

Prescription Drugs

Women are more likely to experience chronic pain8 than men. This may be part of the reason why women are more likely to misuse prescription opioids. And due to their brain chemistry, women develop opioid addiction much faster than men.

Gambling

Gambling addiction is commonly a way to cope with anxiety, loneliness, or boredom.9 While men are more likely to develop an addiction to gambling than women, that gender gap is closing. They may feel more shame about their behavior, or worry about whether it’s safe to get treatment in a mixed-gender setting.

Eating Disorders

The relationship between gender and eating disorders11 is a complicated one. Many women develop these conditions due to societal pressures about their appearance. According to one study, “girls or women are more likely than boys or men to report weight dissatisfaction, dieting for weight control, and use of purging.” 

Co-Occurring Disorders

When you have a mental health condition and addiction, you can look for a rehab that treats co-occurring disorders. Women are especially vulnerable to certain diagnoses. For example, almost twice as many women experience depression12 as men. People with depression are more likely to use substances,13 and people who use substances are more likely to be depressed. Without treatment, this can easily become a spiral.

Many women also use substances to cope with trauma. Data shows that as many as 59% of women with addiction also have PTSD.14 When drug use masks your mental health symptoms, it might feel like a coping strategy. But if you’re already vulnerable to addiction, that behavior can easily get out of control. 

Women and Relapse

It’s widely believed that women are more likely to relapse than men. However, there are studies with conflicting findings. Some say that women are more likely to relapse, while others have found the opposite to be true. In all, experts report “few gender differences in rates of post-treatment relapse15 to alcohol use, although the evidence is mixed in regard to relapse to drug use.”

Certain factors contribute to women’s relapse rates:

Supportive Treatment for Women With Addiction

Gender-specific treatment can make a huge difference in your healing journey. In women-only rehabs, your gender stops being a barrier to treatment. Instead, it can inform your specific goals for addiction recovery.

Women-Only Support Groups and Therapy

Some women find it difficult to share their feelings in mixed-gender groups.19 Perhaps you’ve experienced trauma that makes it hard to trust men. In addition, men tend to dominate conversations with women, even unintentionally. In rehab, women-only support groups and group therapy invite you to open up in a protected space. 

Some mixed-gender rehabs have women’s groups, and other programs only treat women. For Andrea, a client at Georgia Strait Women’s Clinic, attending women-only rehab was the key to recovery. “An all women’s program allowed for a safe environment for group work and other activities,” she explains.

Trauma-Informed Therapy for Women

Most women with addiction have a history of sexual assault,20 physical abuse, or both. Trauma-informed care helps clients explore the complex impacts of trauma. It also provides a safe, supportive environment for healing.

Kristi P., who attended the women-only rehab Awakenings by the Sea, says this of her experience: 

“I needed a safe place of refuge to escape my life and the chaos I was going through…I found women who were searching to heal from trauma the way I was searching.”

Relapse Prevention

For women, the risk of relapse is tied to societal pressures.21 Experts describe 4 themes among women who relapse: 

  1. A low sense of self-worth, especially in the context of romantic partnerships
  2. Negative feelings and conflict in relationships
  3. The inability to build a new, sober support network
  4. Little knowledge about drugs, alcohol, and relapse prevention skills

This data suggests that women can benefit from rehabs with a strong focus on relapse prevention. These programs can help you make a long term recovery plan that accounts for your specific risk factors. For example, your plan might include family therapy to help you improve close relationships.

Gender-Specific Treatment Options for Women

Women face unique risks and challenges when healing from addiction. The good news is that there are a myriad of ways to get the support you need. Gender-specific treatment can help you explore the root cause of your addiction, and empower you to start recovery.


No matter your sex or gender, you deserve care that meets your unique needs. Explore rehabs for women including centers with trauma-informed care, relapse prevention, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions About Women and Addiction

How does addiction affect women differently than men?

Addiction can affect women differently than men due to biological, psychological, and social factors. Women may experience more intense cravings and faster progression of addiction, have a higher risk of relapse, and may face greater stigma and social isolation. Women also tend to have more complex mental health needs, such as anxiety and depression, which can contribute to addiction.

What are the unique challenges women in addiction recovery face?

Women in recovery may face gender-specific issues, such as pregnancy, childcare responsibilities, or financial dependence on a partner. Women are likelier to have experienced trauma, such as sexual abuse or domestic violence, which can complicate recovery. Other challenges include lack of access to treatment, societal stigma, and shame associated with addiction.

What treatment options are available for women with addiction?

Treatment options for women with addiction include inpatient and outpatient rehab programs, behavioral therapies, medication-assisted treatment, and support groups. Treatment may also address co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. It’s important for women to receive treatment that addresses their unique needs and challenges in recovery.