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Methamphetamine: burden, mechanism and impact on pregnancy, the fetus, and newborn

Journal of Perinatology volume 42, pages 293–299 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

While the opioid epidemic has garnered worldwide attention, increasing methamphetamine use has drawn less scrutiny. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant affecting people from all backgrounds and regions. It is a potent vasoconstrictor, is associated with arrhythmias and dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiovascular disease-related mortality is a leading cause of death in methamphetamine users. Women of childbearing age increasingly use methamphetamine and continue during pregnancy. In the short term, prenatal methamphetamine use is associated with fetal growth restriction and low birth weight in the newborn. Animal studies show reduction in uterine and umbilical blood flow following maternal methamphetamine administration. Based on currently available evidence, prenatal methamphetamine exposure has transient effects on gross motor development, no effect on language and cognition, and modest effects on behavior and executive functioning with poor inhibitory control, which may be attributable to early adversity. Further research is needed to evaluate long-term effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure.

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Fig. 1: Mechanisms of action of methamphetamine.
Fig. 2: Graphical abstract on effects of prenatal methamphetamine use on maternal, fetal, neonatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the funding sources listed below.

Funding

DS’s effort was supported by the Children’s Miracle Network research grant at University of California Davis, Child Health Research Grant from UC Davis Pediatrics and First Tech Federal Credit Union and Neonatal Resuscitation Program Research Grant from Canadian Pediatric Society. SL and VM received no external funding. The funder/sponsor did not participate in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Adventist Health Rideout Hospital, Marysville, CA, USA

    Deepika Sankaran

  2. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Deepika Sankaran & Satyan Lakshminrusimha

  3. Division of Cardiology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mather, USA

    Veena Manja

  4. Department of Surgery, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Veena Manja

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  1. Deepika Sankaran
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  2. Satyan Lakshminrusimha
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DS conceptualized, designed, wrote the first draft, reviewed, and revised the manuscript. SL contributed to the concept, wrote part of the manuscript, provided illustrations, reviewed, and revised the manuscript. VM contributed to the concept, wrote part of the manuscript, reviewed, and revised the manuscript. All the authors have approved the final version of the manuscript as submitted. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to Deepika Sankaran.

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41372_2021_1271_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Table S1: Summary of animal and human studies evaluating the effect of methamphetamine (MA) exposure during pregnancy on the fetus and the newborn infant.

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Sankaran, D., Lakshminrusimha, S. & Manja, V. Methamphetamine: burden, mechanism and impact on pregnancy, the fetus, and newborn. J Perinatol 42, 293–299 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01271-8

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