Pregnancy and Pills

摘要

Any pregnant woman whornhas ever cracked open a medicine cabinet is familiar with the warnings against using nearly every kind of medication, including those sold over the counter, from the moment of conception onward. Yetrneach year in the U.S., some 500,000 pregnant women battle psychiatric illness, cancer, autoimmune disease, influenza and other conditions that require treatment. Leaving aside for a moment the issue of whether the benefits of certain drugs outweigh the risks to the baby, what is the appropri-rnate dosage for a mom-to-be? Given the shifts in her metabolism, how much she should take is often anyone's guess.