Crystal Meth and Pregnancy
Crystal meth is short for crystal methamphetamine. It is just one form of the drug methamphetamine. It is a white crystalline drug that people take by snorting it (inhaling through the nose), smoking it or injecting it with a needle. It is a dangerous and potent chemical and, as with all drugs, a poison that first acts as a stimulant but then begins to systematically destroy the body. It is associated with serious health conditions, including memory loss, aggression, psychotic behaviour and potential heart and brain damage. Annie Marie 26/03/2015.(http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth.html). Methamphetamine usually comes in the form of chunky crystals that look like ice and can be crushed up into a crystalline white powder that is odourless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol. Other colours of powder have been observed, including brown, yellow-grey, orange and even pink. It can also be compressed into pill form. When taken, meth and crystal meth create a false sense of well-being and energy, and so a person will tend to push his body faster and further than it is meant to go. Thus, drug users can experience a severe “crash” or physical and mental breakdown after the effects of the drugs wear off. The effects usually last from 6-8 hours up to 24 hours long. 2006–2014 Foundation for a Drug-Free World (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth.html).
Crystal meth used by pregnant women continues to grow, and an estimated 19000 of those meth users are pregnant and those babies if not a miscarriage are affected. It impacts the body dramatically by itself let alone to a developing foetus. It affects the body’s organs and when a woman is pregnant the developing foetus shares the mother’s bloodstream and all her organs. There is a critical balance within the mother’s body and the unborn baby that can be damaged when meth is involved. Life threatening conditions that affect the body are high blood pressure, Eclampsia, Erupted Placenta.
Complications don’t only just arise in the body itself; crystal meth creates problems during labour and the delivery.