At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., neonatologist Dr. Robert V. Johnson said he saw one way in which pregnant women's use of prescription painkilling pills was slightly less risky to their babies than abuse of injectable street drugs like heroin. "Street drugs posed an increased risk of infections, HIV and other blood-borne diseases. At least with prescription medications, they're safer and you may have a better sense of dosages that the baby has been exposed to." But, he said, "you still have to individualize treatment based on the symptoms of the babies."

ABC News, 11/15/11

Tags: ObGyn