Experts discuss why marijuana and pregnancy don't mix.
Recreational and medicinal marijuana use
is becoming increasingly more common as more states move to legalize
the drug. And with this shift, there seems to be some confusion among
expectant mothers about whether it’s OK to use marijuana during pregnancy.
According to a new federal survey published in JAMA,
nearly 4 percent of pregnant women in 2014 said they had used marijuana
in the past month. That’s almost double the 2.4 percent that said the
same thing in 2002. (The New York Times points out that about 9 percent of pregnant women between ages 18 and 44 say they had alcohol in the previous month.)
The
numbers are even higher among younger pregnant women: About 7.5 percent
of 18 to 25-year-old expectant moms said they used marijuana in 2014,
while the number dropped to 2 percent for women aged 26 to 44.
Michael
Cackovic, M.D., a maternal-fetal medicine physician at The Ohio State
University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF that he’s “not at all”
surprised by the findings. “We see more and more patients using
[marijuana] both recreationally and to control symptoms during
pregnancy, such as nausea,” he says.
Jason James, M.D., medical director at Miami's FemCare Ob-Gyn,
tells SELF that he’s not shocked either. “As marijuana becomes
decriminalized and more accepted by society, many women mistakenly take
this as a sign that it may be safe to use in pregnancy,” he says. But
that's not the case.
The American Academy of
Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
advises moms-to-be to avoid marijuana, with ACOG noting that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug during pregnancy.
“Because
of concerns regarding impaired neurodevelopment, as well as maternal
and fetal exposure to the adverse effects of smoking, women who are
pregnant or contemplating pregnancy should be encouraged to discontinue
marijuana use,” the organization says in a committee opinion, adding
that it’s also inadvisable for new moms to use pot while they’re breastfeeding.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
also recently posted information warning about the dangers of marijuana
use in any form during pregnancy, noting that edible marijuana products
like brownies, cookies, or candies, are also considered bad for the
developing fetus.
The impact of marijuana use during pregnancy hasn’t been studied heavily, but there is some research to suggest it’s really not a good idea.
THC,
the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects,
can cross the placental barrier to reach the fetus, Jessica Shepherd,
M.D., an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and
director of minimally invasive gynecology at The University of Illinois
College of Medicine at Chicago, tells SELF. That can potentially cause
issues with brain development, mental functioning, and birth weight.
A landmark longitudinal study published in the journal Neurotoxicity and Teratology
found that children who were exposed to marijuana in the womb were more
likely to be more hyperactive, impulsive, and suffer from difficulty
paying attention by age 10 than those who weren’t exposed to the drug in
utero.
Recreational pot use hasn’t
definitively been shown to increase the risk of congenital anomalies,
Cackovic says. But it has been linked with poor fetal growth and subtle
decreases in executive functioning, the mental skill set that helps you
get things done. And, if a woman uses marijuana purchased off the
street, she has no idea what else could be in it, he says.
Women who use marijuana during pregnancy also increase the risk that they will have a stillbirth, Sherry A. Ross, M.D., a women's health expert and author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women's Intimate Health. Period, tells SELF. And, she adds, some states will put a baby in child protective services if it tests positive for THC.
"More
studies are needed to determine the exact dangers," Ross says. "But any
potential harmful substance consumed during pregnancy sounds alarms and
should not be used unless there are known benefits for the mother and
baby."
Although some women report using pot to combat morning sickness,
Shepherd says there are many other drugs that are considered much
safer. “We have so many options—I can think of four that we can use in
combination with other medications that can help with nausea and
vomiting,” she says.
Cackovic says there are
also non-medicinal methods worth trying, such as ginger and aromatherapy
with scents like lavender and orange. “Hypnosis, acupuncture, and
acupressure have also been used effectively,” he says. “And vitamin B6
is a first-line treatment.”
It’s really a good
idea to talk to your doctor before taking anything while pregnant,
including vitamins, James says. But, if you need information in a hurry
and your doctor isn’t available ASAP, he recommends using an app called MotherToBaby that provides great information and even lets patients call or text an expert for free with questions.
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