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Pharmacology
Pharmacology
Version 1.0
Audio version available

Effects of Drug Use on Fetal Development

Explains how prenatal substance and medication exposures affect pregnancy, fetal development, neonatal adaptation, and long-term outcomes, with practical nursing interventions.

A registered nurse sits privately with a pregnant patient, reviewing medications and substance exposures on a gestational timeline in a respectful prenatal clinical setting.
Contact hours
4
Format
Self-paced, online
Last reviewed
Sep 19, 2026

$20.00or included with All-Access

$5 per contact hour · 4 contact hours

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  • No post-test required · unlimited retakes · evaluation and attestation always required

Course Purpose

Explains how prenatal substance and medication exposures affect pregnancy, fetal development, neonatal adaptation, and long-term outcomes, with practical nursing interventions.

Continuing Education Credit Designation

This educational activity is credited for 4 contact hours at completion of the activity.

Overview

After completing this course, nurses will be able to relate exposure timing and mechanism to possible maternal, placental, fetal, and neonatal effects. Learners will distinguish established risks from associations affected by polysubstance use and social determinants. Nurses will also be able to conduct respectful screening, identify urgent complications, support evidence-based treatment, assess substance-exposed newborns, and coordinate developmental follow-up without stigma or punitive practices.

Objectives

Upon completion of this independent study, the learner will be able to:

  1. Differentiate the germinal, embryonic, and fetal stages and relate exposure timing to developmental risk.
  2. Identify maternal, placental, fetal, and neonatal complications associated with alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, opioids, stimulants, and selected medications.
  3. Apply current principles for evaluating fetal growth restriction and prenatal exposure risk without assuming that every exposure causes a congenital disorder.
  4. Recognize manifestations of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and implement evidence-based nonpharmacologic care and escalation.
  5. Select trauma-informed screening, communication, referral, medication-safety, and discharge interventions for pregnant and postpartum patients.
  6. Explain how nurses support longitudinal growth, developmental, behavioral, hearing, vision, and family follow-up after prenatal substance exposure.

Policy Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the policies of FastCEForLess.com. This course should be used for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose, treat, prescribe, recommend, or initiate therapies or treatments in any setting. This course is copyrighted by Fast CE For Less, Inc. and may not be replicated, copied, or dispersed without written consent.

Disclosures

Fast CE For Less, Inc. and its authors have no disclosures. There is no commercial support.

Who this course is for:

Healthcare professionals who want continuing education on Effects of Drug Use on Fetal Development.

Course outline

7 sections · finish in any order across devices

  1. 1

    Introduction

  2. 2

    Stages of Fetal Development

  3. 3

    Drug Use Increases Risk of Pregnancy Complications

  4. 4

    Drug Use Effects on Fetal Development

  5. 5

    Developmental Delays and In-Utero Drug Use

  6. 6

    Nursing Considerations

  7. 7

    Conclusion

References

The full reference list is included inside the course, after the Conclusion.

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