September 17, 2014

Long Term of THC on Neurodevelopment of Fetuses

The most vulnerable state in a woman’s life is during pregnancy. This is because at this time she not only has one life to take care of but also another young life that is even more vulnerable. This therefore calls for caution. A woman who is pregnant should be wary of what passes through her mouth and proceeds right into her body. This is because whatever she eats can either make her gestation period and life after a healthy affair or a nightmare. More often than note the life behaviors of a pregnant mother impacts on the life of the foetus as well and therefore it is important for a pregnant woman to distance herself from all drugs and other risky life choices that may impact negatively on the life of her offspring. Just as good nutrition and clinical visits are emphasized to pregnant women it is also good to encourage these women to stay away from harmful drugs like cocaine, bhang and even alcohol. Unfortunately pregnant women have not seen the need to quit indulging in these risky behaviors even when they are expectant. If current research findings are to be believed, about 4% of women in the USA use illicit drugs while pregnant. Seventy five percent of these cases report the use of marijuana. Despite the widespread use of this product, the public is not aware of the potential neurobehavioral effects of this drug on the fetus or the newborn infant. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most effective compound found in cannabis sativa. Unfortunately it is effective for all the wrong reasons as it affects the neurodevelopment in fetus and newborn infants. Needless to say it has been used in few doses to avoid nausea and vomit in cancer patients. It has also been used to increase appetite in patients but when used for non medical reasons nothing good can come out of this compound.

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Effects of cannabis during pregnancy

Recent studies have proved that children who are exposed to marijuana prenatally encounter such problems as social and cognitive disturbances. One of these study suggested exposing children to heavy marijuana use prenatally increased the risk of giving birth to low weight babies and the reduced head circumference in teenagers is a proof to this argument. It is also exposing fetus to heavy marijuana use prenatally increased the risk of childhood leukemia. Exposing fetus to heavy use of marijuana prenatally also resulted in both long term and short term memory loss. Even as the infants grow into youths they become very poor in judgmental skills and mostly become very slow in learning and adopting new ideas.

In another study, 42 postmortem fetal brain samples from pregnant women at mid gestation (between 18 – 22 weeks old) who voluntarily underwent saline induced abortion, a decrease in dopamine receptor (D2) mRNA expression in amygdala with significant prevalence in male fetuses. 7 Extensive marijuana exposure in utero was associated with the lowest reported mRNA levels. However this study did not show whether this change is transient or permanent but still it was able to prove that exposure to heavy use of marijuana resulted in low mRNA levels.

Effects of Cannabis during breast feeding

When a woman continues to use marijuana, the THC compound in it will not quit causing the side effects it is known for to this infant but will still continue to hurt the life of the infant. The compound will not stay in the mother alone but will be passed to the infant when breast feeding since it is secreted in milk. This may cause side effects in the life of the infant as it will be absorbed and retained in the body of the infant. Researchers opine that at the point of intake into the infant the proportions of the dangerous compound in the milk is minimal to cause any clinical problems but it is sufficient enough to cause serious long-term effects in the infant. It may take time but in the end it affects the neurobehavioral functioning of an infant .Infants exposed to marijuana through breast milk will test positive in urine screens for about 2-3 weeks. One study of 16 women indicated decreased plasma levels of prolactin especially in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

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THC decreases IQ in children

When you are pregnant but you choose to indulge in using marijuana during your pregnancy be sure to have a child that is not very well upstairs. The exposure of a child to THC prenatally will decrease their Intelligence Quotient. This problem affects the teens as that is the period that they try to accomplish things by themselves. Most of the dangers that THC cause to infants are seen during the teen. They become poor planners which make it rather difficult to keep the pace with their other fellows.

The use of marijuana in pregnant women is a cause for concern everywhere and it is advisable that women should stay away from using marijuana not only for their health but also for the life of their offspring. The effects of marijuana that they absorb in their blood during infancy end up affecting them during their entire lives. THC is a dangerous compound and so women should avoid interacting with it to save their children from long-term neurobehavioral anomalies.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She is also dedicated to offer help to addiction patients. She founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center which is home to many people seeking health breakthrough. Call on her now and learn more on how to fight drug addiction.

Long Term of THC on Neurodevelopment of Fetuses

Methamphetamine and Pregnant Women

September 16, 2014

Methamphetamine Causes Health Problems to Pregnant Women

Methamphetamine is drug with many names, users have given it very many names but this is not strange as this is always the case with any illegal drug. This drug is illegal and users call it crank, ice, speed, crystal and meth just among the many tittles it has got just in a bid to conceal what it really is from concerned authorities. This drug is used as a stimulant. It works in such a way that it floods the brain with extra dopamine hence stimulating the entire central nervous system (CNS). Dopamine is a chemical that is known to stimulate pleasure and this has led to use of not only meth but also other illegal drugs that induce production of dopamine.

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The use of this drug is not good especially to the women who are on their way to being mothers. Pregnant women should avoid the use of this drug more than anybody else. This is because it affects pregnancy negatively in many ways and if a woman continues to indulge in the risky behavior of using this drug when pregnant then at least she should know the dangers she is exposing herself to.

Generally, Methamphetamine causes irregular heartbeat, insomnia, paranoia, anxiety, heart damage, stomach cramps and high blood pressure just among the many side effects it’s known to cause. These side effects are not good for a pregnant woman and affects them adversely here are some more was that this drug adversely affects the life of a pregnant mother.

Methamphetamine may cause Placenta Abruption

Placenta abruption is the case when the placenta prematurely gets detached from the uterine wall. When placenta gets detached from the uterine wall before labor has begun it is termed premature and it can cause even death of both the mother and the child if emergency medical attention is not sought. Normally, the placenta remains attached to the uterine wall until after delivery after which it gets detached in thirty minutes. If accidental abruption occurs, emergency cesarean procedure must be done without which the mother and the baby may be lost to death. Methamphetamine affects the placenta adversely as it constricts the blood vessels hence causing lack of oxygen and nutrients to the baby. This leads to long term effects on the baby as a result of lack of significant nutrients in early life. Placenta abruption is dangerous and therefore it is worth quitting the use of methamphetamine for.

Meth and Preterm labor

Naturally the body of a woman should be able to know the right time to give birth but women who are victims of drug addictions have their bodies disabled to sense this right time. This may lead to early labor. Scientists have not made it known what causes the contractions during the 9 month gestation periods but several research findings have found that women who continue to use meth during their pregnancy mostly fail to contain the pregnancy to the full nine months. In United States alone half of women who use this drug during their pregnancy fail to carry the pregnancy to full term. Most of women using this drug give birth to underweight babies if they are lucky enough to carry the pregnancy to the full term.

Methamphetamine causes high blood pressure

As scientists have proved, Methamphetamine increases catecholamine activity in the branch of the peripheral nervous system responsible for controlling heart rate and blood pressure. This is the basis of all the heart related problems caused by this drug; Excessive catecholamine activity. The high levels of catecholamine are cardio toxic hence causing constriction and spasm of the blood vessels, rapid heart rate (tachycardia), high blood pressure (hypertension), and rupture of heart muscles. It may also lead to increment in the sizes of heart muscle tissues which in turn narrows the heart muscles. In the end of it narrow vessels leads to high pressure building in the blood vessels. Possible death of the heart muscle.

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In pregnant mothers high blood pressure can cause serious complications, the foetus is still having most of its features being developed and its blood vessels are still very weak to put up with high blood pressure.

Methamphetamine and Growth retardation

A child who is born of a mother who is addicted to meth and continued to use it during the gestation period is exposed to myriad of health problems. To begin with it is known that the drug constricts the vessels through which oxygen and nutrients are transferred from the mother to the baby, this causes deficit in the nutrients that reaches the baby and this explains why most women who continued to use this drug end up giving birth to babies that are underweight. These nutrients that the baby has missed are very crucial for its growth and this is just one way through which the use of methamphetamine causes growth retardation in babies born of mothers addicted to this drug.

Generally, a pregnant woman should avoid the use of methamphetamine at all costs as it causes serious health problems to both of the baby and the mother. Among other problems that it can cause is stillbirth. This is when a baby dies in the uterus after being alive for the 24 weeks. No woman would be happy to have a stillborn baby and so all pregnant mothers should avoid methamphetamine.