Obstetric outcomes of amphetamine misapplication during pregnancy

Abstract

© 2018, Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved. Objective: To assessed pattern of amphetamine use among pregnant women, and its effects on neonates’ outcomes. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Siriraj Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, using hospital medical records of women whose urine tested positive for amphetamine by laboratory test and were admitted for delivery between January 2014 and August 2015. There were 77 women included in the analysis. Results: Of these 77 pregnant women, 5.2% of them had continued illicit drug used until their labor, 59.7% of them used the drug every day, 59.7% of them had gestational age of 37 weeks or less. Antenatal care was low, at 20.8% and 16% of them had caesarean sections. Complications during labor were eclampsia and gestational hypertension. Conclusion: Pattern of amphetamine use, especially use frequency and low gestational age has a significant effect on low birth-weight infant. A special antenatal clinic should be set up to provide counseling about their health as well as fetal outcomes.