Your doctor may study any problems your mother may have had during pregnancy and delivery. If your mother is still living, your physician will probably want to talk to her directly. If she is deceased or not available and you suspect she may have had problems, he may interview you and other family members to try to determine if this was the case.

Anxiety in Pregnancy and Childhood ADHD

Your physician may interview you and/or your parents to find out if your mother experienced significant stress at any time during her pregnancy with you. New research shows that mothers who experience strong anxiety early in pregnancy may increase their child's susceptibility to ADHD years later.

In fact, the link between maternal angst and stress and the development of ADHD is stronger than any other predictor of behavioral problems during childhood, including maternal smoking during pregnancy, low birth weight, and a mother's current stress.

The study, which was reported in the journal Child Development, showed that maternal anxiety between the 12th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy were strongly linked to ADHD. The findings support the controversial hypothesis of fetal programming, a theory that suggests that exposures in the womb play a critical role in predisposing people to a host of diseases and emotional disorders later in life.

According to the theory, at certain points during pregnancy environmental exposures to the fetus significantly influence brain development, which, in turn, can impact future health. Other well-publicized research showed that diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are also linked to environmental exposures in the womb.

Maternal Smoking and Childhood ADHD

Your physician may also ask you or your parents if your mother smoked while she was pregnant with you. Recent studies published in Biological Psychiatry showed genetic factors combined with prenatal cigarette smoke exposure caused a substantial risk in more serious types of ADHD. In other words, if your mother had adult ADHD and was also a smoker, it may have greatly increased your odds of developing a severe form of childhood ADHD.

Maternal Alcohol Levels and ADHD

Research shows that fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), or the damage done to children's brains and bodies when their mothers drink heavily during pregnancy, is the leading form of mental retardation today.

In a milder form of prenatal alcohol impairment called fetal alcohol effects (FAE), children often don't look disabled but exhibit a wide range of behavior problems that look much like ADHD and include hyperactivity, attention problems, learning disorders, and ethical problems such as stealing, lying, and cheating. Children with FAE also tend to score in the low-normal or normal ranges on intelligences tests.

ADHD Medications During Pregnancy That Impact ADHD

Although no studies of ADHD management during pregnancy have been conducted, most doctors recommend pregnant women replace stimulant medications with nonpharmacologic approaches.