A recent study has suggested that pregnant women who take ecstasy may be at greater risk of having babies with birth defects such as congenital heart disease and other abnormalities.
Researchers at the National Teratology Information Service in Newcastle (1) studied 136 babies whose mothers took ecstasy while pregnant. Seventy four said they took only ecstasy but 62 had used ecstasy and other illegal drugs.
Eleven of the births ended in miscarriage, which is no more than average. Forty eight of the women chose to have abortions. Of the live births, twelve had congenital abnormalities, such as a club foot, while two had congenital heart disease. This is around four times the national average.
The majority of the women were under thirty years
Researchers at the National Teratology Information Service in Newcastle (1) studied 136 babies whose mothers took ecstasy while pregnant. Seventy four said they took only ecstasy but 62 had used ecstasy and other illegal drugs.
Eleven of the births ended in miscarriage, which is no more than average. Forty eight of the women chose to have abortions. Of the live births, twelve had congenital abnormalities, such as a club foot, while two had congenital heart disease. This is around four times the national average.
The majority of the women were under thirty years