SMOKING MARIJUANA

Smoking Marijuana

Introduction

Drug use for pleasure - whether legal or illegal - has the potential to interact with her baby and harm it. Alcohol consumption is a major concern of many pregnant women and many experts agree that alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy best. If you drink you should not exceed 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per week reduced. Go for caffeine, contrary to what they may have heard, there is no evidence to suggest that they cause birth defects. One or two cups of coffee or tea a day will not harm her baby. Large amounts of caffeine should avoid you anyway because caffeine reduces the amount of iron and other dietary nutrients, which can lead to deterioration in their baby. Other drugs - especially smoking in pregnancy, are far more dangerous.

The use of illegal drugs should definitely be avoided during pregnancy. Many studies have shown that the use of illicit drugs is associated with a higher risk of suffering from a premature birth or to bring an underweight baby. Some drugs can also cause developmental and behavioral problems.

During pregnancy, marijuana consumption poses an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and adverse effects on the child. Marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient, which is largely responsible for the "high" associated with this drug, is known to cross the placenta and affect fetal development. Its effects are linked to decreased birth weight. It also can cause early and prolonged labor. Several studies suggest it may even affect the gender of the baby. Evidence of marijuana also appears in the breast milk of nursing mothers, which may pose a risk to the child.

Use of marijuana prior to pregnancy has been associated with decreased fertility and should be avoided by both partners if pregnancy is desired. In men, it can reduce the number of sperm and their ability to move. In women, it may cause shorter menstrual cycles. Restrictions on human studies with marijuana make it impossible to obtain conclusive information.

Studies

Scientists in the United States sought "to evaluate the effects of prenatal marijuana exposure (PME) on the age of onset and frequency of marijuana use while controlling for identified confounds of early marijuana use among 14-year-olds." N.L. Day and colleagues of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic explained, "In this longitudinal cohort study, women were recruited in their fourth prenatal month.

They continued, "At 14 years, 580 of the 763 offspring-mother pairs (76%) were assessed. A total of 563 pairs (74%) were included in this analysis. Socio-demographic, environmental, psychological, behavioral, biological and developmental factors were assessed. Outcomes were age of onset and frequency of marijuana use at age 14."

"PME predicted age of onset and frequency of marijuana use among the 14-year-old offspring," they discovered. "This finding was significant after controlling for other variables including the child's current alcohol and tobacco use, pubertal stage, sexual activity, delinquency, peer drug use, family history of drug abuse and characteristics of the home environment including parental depression, current drug use and ...