Nutrition and Pharmacological Drugs in Pregnancy - Article Example

The physiological changes in pregnancy also influence the nutrition and pharmacological drugs in pregnancy. The article discusses physiological changes in pregnancy, pharmacokinetics in pregnancy, and the functions of the placenta (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009).

Pregnant women do not participate in medical trials since drugs taken during pregnancy may affect the fetus in adverse ways. The article notes that pharmacological treatment is inevitable in pregnancy despite its eminent side effects. As such, the article defines how drugs affect the fetus and the categories of pharmacological drugs recommended for pregnancy by the FDA. The categories include A, B, C, D, and X where category A is the safest while category X is fatal during pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). The article also demonstrates the risk of using social drugs like cigarette smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and illicit drugs during pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). Ultimately, the article presents the concerns about using OTC drugs during pregnancy.

Personal Reaction to the Article
I think the article is very relevant to the topic of nutrition and pharmacological drugs in pregnancy. Indeed, the article depicts seriousness in addressing the use of drugs during pregnancy by addressing the physiological changes in pregnancy and pharmacokinetics in pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). The article confirms that pharmacological treatment is inevitable in pregnancy despite the significant effects that pharmacological drugs have on a fetus and the pregnant woman. Indeed, the article depicts the significance of pharmacological therapy during pregnancy.

Moreover, the article confirms that the placenta plays a noble role in guaranteeing nutrition and fetal and maternal well-being during pregnancy by presenting the functions of the placenta. The article succeeds in showing different categories of drugs and their effect on the fetus. The article is authoritative in that it refers to the recommendations of the FDA that define categories of pharmacological drugs used in pregnancy (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). The article is credible since it relies on numerous secondary sources to justify its claims. In addition, by showing the medical risks associated with using OTC drugs and social drugs, the article depicts the classical problem of treating pregnant women.

How a Professional Nurse Can Use the Article
The professional nurse can use the ideas of the article to determine the safest category of pharmacological drugs to treat pregnant women without harming the fetus (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). Indeed, the article offers therapeutic guidance for a professional nurse by focusing on various aspects that relate to drug use during pregnancy. Most of all, the article helps the professional nurse in assessing the fetus by showing how specific medications can reach the fetus and cause serious harm. The article also helps the professional nurse to enhance and improve the health care offered during pregnancy by discussing the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. The professional nurse can assess the fetus by considering the functionality of the placenta as defined in the article (Sachdeva, Patel, & Pate, 2009). Moreover, the article presents the details of each development stage that would help in monitoring the woman during labor and assessing the development of the fetus with accuracy. As such, the ideas of the article are very significant to a professional nurse. Read More