14 DAY TRIAL // Using pot at the time of conception or in early period of pregnancy can have a bad influence upon the carriage of the fetus in the womb, resulting in pregnancy failure.
A report that is going to be published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that the THC active ingredient in cannabis can prevent an egg from being inserted in the lining of the uterus by annihilating the body's signaling system.
The research was conducted in rats only and showed that suppressing the enzyme that degrades cannabis' effects on our bodies leads to ovulation failure and miscarriage. The specific enzyme is called FAAH and it becomes active in the body when one takes cannabis, being responsible with the neutralization of the pot's hallucinatory effects. When scientists provided the bodies of the rats with no FAAH, they noticed that the activity embryos and oviduct is stopped.
On the other hand, anandamide is the signaling molecule that activates two receptors (CB1 and 2) when someone smokes cannabis. The two receptors are found both in the brain and sperm, eggs and newly formed embryos. The hallucinatory effect of cannabis works through the anandamide, which stimulates the two receptors and this is how the "feeling good" state is induced into individuals. But when on the verge of conception or early stage of pregnancy, the anandamide will not only stimulate the brain, but also the "tools" needed for getting pregnant.
Sudhansu Dey is co-author of the study and professor of Pediatrics, Cell and Developmental Biology and Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He stated: "Cannabis exposure may compromise pregnancy outcome. This is a major finding, that if you block FAAH and disturb anandamide levels, there is a compromised pregnancy outcome. This occurs very early during pregnancy, right from the start of fertilization. This may explain tubal pregnancies; it may be one cause of retention of embryos in the oviduct."