In most cases, anesthetic medications should be avoided during pregnancy. However, if surgery and anesthesia are necessary, the medical staff will select medications to limit the possible side effects to the mother and fetus. A case study conducted by Duke University in 1999 concluded that anesthetic techniques that limit physiological changes, provide maintenance of airway reflexes, and provide analgesia with minimal fetal side effects are ideal for pregnant women.
Decreased Fetal Heart Rate
According to Encyclopedia of Surgery, anesthesia used during labor and delivery is known to decrease fetal heart rate. As a result, physicians monitor the heart rate of the fetus during labor to reduce anesthesia-related complications. An emergency caesarean section is normally performed if delivery is not progressing and the fetus heart rate remains slow.
Drug Transference
Duke University Medical Center reports most anesthetic medications do not transfer harmful effects to the unborn baby. However, some anesthetics administered to pregnant patients will cross the placenta and distribute medication remnants to the fetus. This is evident in regional anesthesia administered to women during labor and delivery. According to the American Pregnancy Association, epidural anesthetics that travel in the umbilical cord are usually diluted with drug-free blood from the lower extremities. This process reduces drug concentration in the fetal blood.
Poor Sucking Reflex
The American Pregnancy Association suggests anesthesia administered during labor and delivery may result in a poor sucking reflex and breastfeeding difficulties after delivery. Anesthesia effects usually subside within hours, and newborns should no longer have problems breastfeeding. According to Encyclopedia of Surgery, mothers who used anesthesia during labor and delivery gave birth to more babies with poor sucking reflexes than those who did not use anesthesia. However, research is unclear on how anesthesia medications cause a poor sucking reflex.
