Abstract
CHRONIC opiate addiction in women is generally considered to be associated with amenorrhoea, anovulation and infertility1, but the number of observed pregnancies in drug addicts, as well as case reports of pregnancy in women with chronic addiction2,3, casts doubt on this belief. The irregular life of these women and the clouded sensorium make it difficult to define the effects of opiates on the hormonal state. A unique opportunity to observe gynaecic function in women maintained on large doses of a narcotic drug under close medical supervision was provided by the methadone maintenance treatment programme4. This is a programme for the voluntary rehabilitation of the “hard core” addict. The patients are given gradually increasing doses of methadone to induce a state of tolerance and then are maintained on a constant dose of 60–120 mg/day. It is thought that such large doses induce “narcotic blockade”, so that heroin becomes neither necessary nor desirable and the addict can return to a normal, useful life5.
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References
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BLINICK, G. Menstrual Function and Pregnancy in Narcotics Addicts treated with Methadone. Nature 219, 180 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/219180a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/219180a0
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