After learning that she is pregnant, a woman will immediately have to change many things about her lifestyle.
She may have to change her diet.
Consuming healthy foods will provide both baby and mother with the nutrition they need to stay healthy.
Another change they may have to make is the amount and type of medications they are taking.
Many people use NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs regularly to control aches and pains.
NSAIDs find inflammation in the body and work against it, causing a reduction in pain.
Whether or not to take NSAIDs during pregnancy will be a choice a pregnant woman will have to make.
Just like many other drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications may affect a fetus differently depending on the stage of pregnancy.
The effects early on are less concrete than the effects of taking the drug during the third trimester.
Even if a woman is not pregnant, continued use of these medications can harm her body.
Therefore, if the decision is made to take such medicines early in the pregnancy, it should only be taken for an occasional headaches or muscle pain.
Other doctors believe that taking this drug at all during the first part of the pregnancy will increase the chance of a miscarriage.
Despite these different opinions, it is generally agreed that taking an NSAID during the third trimester may result in serious injuries to the child.
The complication most at risk is the closing the child's ductus arteriosus.
This artery is important to lung function.
Closing this artery may risk the unhealthy development of a child's lungs.
Heart problems may also result from a child's circulation being slowed.