The Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse on Expectant Mothers  

When expectant mothers use methamphetamine (meth) during pregnancy they are, without their awareness, causing brain abnormalities in their unborn children to an extent that only been recognized in the past ten-years. The “Journal of Neuroscience” published an article in its March 17, 2010 issue showing more detrimental impact than has been recognized in the past.

Medical science has long known that drug and alcohol use by expectant mothers is dangerous, but only in the last ten-years have they been able to identify brain structures that specifically cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems as their children develop 

The Fetal Alcohol Syndrom (FAS) has been studied for many years showing lifelong detrimental effects of alcohol during gestation. The University of California at Los Angeles studied the effects of prenatal methamphetamine use by expectant mothers, finding evidence that the use of this drug in combination with alcohol abuse causes more severe damage than had previously been expected.

The region of the brain that is responsible for learning and memory, motor control and motivation was one of the regions of the brain that was more reduced by meth use than from alcohol exposure.

Not finding statistics for Europe on the number of pregnant women using meth, you can extrapolate from the figure of 19,000 pregnant women who use meth yearly in the United States. No matter the number, the cost of any one expectant mother using meth is horrendous in the personal emotional cost and the financial cost of treating a person for the rest of the lives because they were damaged in gestation from this abuse.

Researchers today can use brain scans that show changes in specific brain structures. They have found that the harmful impact of alcohol on the brain is even more devastating when meth use is added in. These children are often so damaged that they don’t stand a even chance to be successful throughout their lives. Their IQ scores are frequently well below the levels considered able to be educated and they are strapped with mental retardation for the rest of their lives.

The severe addictive nature of methamphetamines necessitates that any women of childbearing age addicted to these drugs, seek a rehab solution that will keep them from committing these harms against themselves and their offspring.

Long-term rehabilitation methods should be seen as a viable solution for women with drug problems who are looking to save their children from the harmful impact of prenatal drug use.

It is imperative that we make effective treatment available to future mothers as well as providing comprehensive education about this issue.