ABSTRACT
Clinicians have to deal with a large variety of situations where the mother and the fetus are exposed to drugs. The evaluation of the risk-to-benefit ratio of drug administration during pregnancy often constitues a challenge [1]. The human teratogenic effects of thalidomide and retinoids have led the medical profession to realise how dangerous medications can be, even without adverse maternal effects [2–4]. Warfarin induces congenital malformations and fetal haemorrhages by competing with vitamin K [5]. The administration of these drugs is contra-indicated during pregnancy. Long term consequences of fetal exposure to drugs is unpredictable. The high incidence of vaginal adenocarcinoma, developing in young women exposed to stillbestrol during pregnancy, is a well-known example of possible delayed side-effects of drugs administered during pregnancy [6].
