Painkiller Use in Pregnancy Linked to Birth Defects

Recent research has linked maternal treatment with opioid analgesics (otherwise known as painkillers) with an increased risk of birth defects. Common painkillers would be Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Darvon/Darvocet (Propoxyphene), Fentanyl, Morphine, Methadone, or Demerol (Meperidine). This means that women who take these medications while pregnant run a greater chance of giving birth to a child with certain health problems.

Heart Birth Defects Increase When Pregnant Women Use Painkillers:

Ventricular Septal Defects – “hole in the heart” or a hole in the wall between the right and left ventricles of the heart, the septum
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) – “hole in the heart” or a hole between the upper chambers of the heart, the atria
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (most common) – parts of the left side of the heart do not develop completely
Tetralogy of Fallot – cyanotic heart defect that causes low oxygen in the baby’s blood leading to cyanosis (blue skin)
Pulmonary Valve Stenosis – heart valve disorder in which the pulmonary valve cannot open wide enough and less blood flows to the lungs

Pregnant Women Using Painkillers Also Linked To Other Birth Defects:

Spina Bifida – “split spine” or incomplete closing of the neural tube leaving some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord unfused and open
Hydrocephalus – “water on the brain” or an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’s cavities
Anencephaly – head end of neural tube doesn’t close, resulting in absence of large part of brain, skull and scalp
Craniorachischisis – fissure of the skull and vertebral column
Congenital Infantile Glaucoma – usually affects both eyes, and left untreated it can cause blindness, caused by a defect in the channel through which the aqueous humor normally flows out of the eyes
Gastroschisis – a birth defect in which the infant’s intestines stick out of the body through a defect on one side of the umbilical cord
Cleft Palate – oral birth defect which can be on one or both sides of the roof of the mouth
Cleft Lip with Cleft Palate – facial birth defects affecting the upper lip and the roof of the mouth, a cleft lip can range from a small notch in the lip to a complete split of the lip that goes all the way to the base of the nose.

Opioids are used to treat severe pain. The effects of painkiller use on a developing fetus have not been substantially studied. Recently, studies have been undertaken to obtain a greater understanding of any link between the use of drugs such as Darvocet, Vicodin, and Oxycodone during pregnancy and subsequent birth defects. Despite prior evidence of adverse fetal affects of the use of codeine during pregnancy, treatment with opioid painkillers has been considered safe during pregnancy. Until now.

A 2011 AJOG study into the effects opiods can have on the fetus when a pregnant woman uses them showed 2.6% of their sample group took the medications between one month before and three months after conception. If you or someone you care about have a child or grandchild suffering from any birth defects, and the child’s mother took any painkiller or pain-reliever during pregnancy, please contact a Prescription Drug Birth Defects Lawyer today.