Getting high may sabotage pregnancy

New York: Women who use marijuana during the time of conception may sabotage their pregnancy, says a study.

The study, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, says marijuana's key ingredient - called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – is responsible for causing such disorder.

THC may make it hard for a fertilized egg to implant in the womb, the researchers said.

Haibin Wang and other researchers from Vanderbilt University studied mice not people.

According to them, their findings have high clinical importance for women, reported the online edition of health magazine WebMD

First, Wang's team let the female and male mice mate with each other. Next, the researchers pumped THC into some of the female mice for four or five days.

For comparison, the researchers pumped other marijuana chemicals or a marijuana-free substance (placebo) into other female mice.

The mice started receiving those chemicals when their eggs had just been fertilised, but before those eggs had lodged in the womb.

The THC group was least likely to have their eggs implant in the womb compared with the other mice, the study showed.

The bottom line from Wang's study: If you're trying to get pregnant, abstaining from marijuana may be important for pregnancy success.

Of course, marijuana isn't legally available in many countries.

But, according to the researchers, it's still one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world, and often by pregnant women.