ABSTRACT
It has proven extremely difficult to determine the incidence of drug use during pregnancy. Focusing on illegal drugs, Chasnoff (1989) reported that approximately 375,000 newborns are affected each year, while Gomby and Shiono (1991) stated that 739,200 women use at least one illegal drug while pregnant. Fetuses can also be harmed by legal substances such as alcohol. In 1987, Balisy reported that between 5% and 10% of pregnant women drink heavily. Using data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Chasnoff and Lowder (1999) estimated that more than 1 million children are prenatally exposed to drugs (legal and/or illegal) each year. Other studies have attempted to determine incidence by testing all patients at selected hospitals or clinics. Researchers in Detroit screened 3,010 newborns at one hospital and found that 44% of them had been exposed to drugs prenatally (Ostrea, Brady, Gause, Raymundo, & Stevens, 1992). Chasnoff, Landress, and Barrett (1990) tested pregnant mothers during their first prenatal visit and found that 13.8% tested positive for drugs. Clearly, the estimates vary dramatically based on the sample tested and the method of assessment. Although we do not have a clear understanding of the number of children exposed to drugs prenatally, there is sufficient data to consider it a significant problem.
