Worry is understandable. But what too few doctors and women realize is that mothers' diseases themselves can seriously hurt the fetus, say specialists in epilepsy, depression, hypertension and asthma who routinely see women scared off vital treatments - sometimes by misinformed obstetricians. They describe women with artificial heart valves who died from shunning necessary blood thinners, and women who quit epilepsy medicine only to suffer seizures that triggered miscarriage. Studies show inhaled corticosteroids are less risky than uncontrolled asthma, which can kill the mother or impair fetal growth. Other studies show serotonin-related antidepressants such as Prozac don't cause birth defects or leach dangerously into nursing mothers' breast milk, while untreated depression is a clear risk to the mother.
Some risks are very rare.
The mood stabilizer lithium, for example, has a one in 5,000 chance of a heart defect, a worthwhile gamble for some sick women, Koren says. Other drugs are risky only in the first trimester, when organs are forming. And then there's the question of dose, which fluctuates with pregnant women's hormonal, metabolism and other bodily changes. Take the antibiotic amoxicillin, for urinary tract infections. 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star and its wire services and suppliers, and may not be republished without permission.