If pregnancy has you feeling so queasy that everything you eat upsets your stomach, you’re probably willing to try just about anything to kick your morning sickness and get your appetite back. You may also be struggling with some pre-baby jitters and are in search of a way to calm your nerves.
While some pregnant women turn to pot to ease their pregnancy symptoms — or continue to smoke if they did before they conceived, especially now that it’s legal in a number of states — experts say that lighting up a joint isn't a pregnancy-safe remedy for morning sickness and anxiety.
In fact, the medical community and other health experts say pot during pregnancy isn't safe and should be avoided completely. Studies show that it may not just affect your pregnancy and growing baby, but your own health and your child's development over time.
How many pregnant women smoke marijuana?
Experts believe that marijuana use in pregnancy is on the rise, with rates higher than ever before. Statistics are limited, but some research suggests that past-month marijuana use jumped from 2.4 percent in 2002 to 3.9 percent in 2014 — an increase of about 60 percent. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that self-reported marijuana use in most studies is 2 to 5 percent among pregnant women.
Another study done in women from northern California, where medical marijuana has been legal since 1996, found that marijuana use during pregnancy increased from 4 percent in 2009 to 7 percent in 2016. ACOG points out that medical marijuana is not safer than recreational marijuana.
Younger pregnant women, particularly those 18 to 25 years old, are more likely to use marijuana than older women.
What’s the concern about smoking pot when you're pregnant?
Some midwives recommend occasional to moderate marijuana use during pregnancy to treat morning sickness and anxiety, according to some blogs and social media posts. After all, they say, staying stress-free is essential to having a healthy pregnancy.
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But since the active ingredient in marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC) changes all sorts of processes in the human body — from heart rate to brain function — there's good reason to believe pot could affect a pregnant mom's baby.
When marijuana is smoked or ingested by a pregnant woman, pot and THC cross the placenta and enter a fetus’ bloodstream, so you're essentially sharing the drug with your baby.
Researchers don't have all the answers about the effects of THC on the baby in utero. The challenge with studies on pot and pregnancy is that clinical trials aren't possible and the women participating in the research might deny smoking pot even if they do or downplay how often they've used it.
Some of them also smoke cigarettes, which can complicate the findings. But since there's evidence to suggest that marijuana could have an impact on your pregnancy and your child, and there's a lot that isn't yet fully understood, the safest bet is to steer clear.
For those reasons, ACOG, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) all say pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid marijuana altogether.
And in light of the growing trend of pregnant women turning to pot for morning sickness and other symptoms, the AAP issued its first official guidelines on pot use, pregnancy and breastfeeding in 2018. In their new recommendations, the group reaffirms that pregnant and nursing moms should not use marijuana in any form because it isn't safe for them or their babies.
Furthermore, in 2019, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams issued a warning to pregnant women and teens not to smoke or vape marijuana or consume weed edibles, since they may not realize how dangerous it may be and it's much more potent today than it used to be.
CBD oil is also not considered safe for use during pregnancy and experts say to steer clear because the effects on an unborn baby and pregnant mother just aren't known.
What are the risks of smoking marijuana while pregnant?
Studies have shown that daily or weekly marijuana use may make your pregnancy more high-risk.
Research has found that babies born to moms who use pot are more likely to end up in the NICU compared to other babies, be underweight at birth, be born prematurely (especially if the mother also smoked cigarettes during pregnancy), and/or have smaller heads at birth. It can also increase the risk of stillbirth.
Using pot can also alter your judgment and make you dizzy, adding to the faintness some pregnant women experience and to the risk of injury or falls.
A number of studies have also suggested that the health risks of smoking marijuana during pregnancy may extend to the fetus' brain. One group of researchers found that the area of the brain controlling emotion, called the amygdala, showed abnormal function in male fetuses whose mothers smoked pot during pregnancy.
And because marijuana can affect memory and cognitive ability in adults, researchers believe it might have a similar impact on a developing baby-to-be. Marijuana is known to have an impact on a fetus' brain neurotransmitters and biochemistry, as well as the intake of oxygen, and it can alter fetal heart rate.
Because marijuana can stay in the system for a prolonged period of time, a baby's exposure to it in utero might be longer than the mother realizes.
Are there any long-term effects on children whose mothers used pot in pregnancy?
Medical experts and scientists believe that the effects of smoking marijuana during pregnancy may have an impact on a child's brain development and behavior over time.
Studies have shown that toddlers and older children born to pot-smoking moms may not score as well on cognitive, memory and behavioral tests compared with other kids, and have a somewhat higher risk of impulse control issues, hyperactivity and inattention.
There have also been studies showing a link between marijuana use in pregnancy and lower scores on reading comprehension, spelling and math tests.
What this means for you
If you smoked pot before you got pregnant, you can put any worries that it will affect your pregnancy or your baby to rest. There is no evidence that smoking marijuana before you were expecting will hurt your fetus.
It could, however, hinder your attempts at trying to conceive if you're still in the "wanting to get pregnant" phase, so it's best to kick the habit (along with cigarettes, if you smoke those too) as soon as you start trying.
Bottom line: It's not safe to smoke pot while you're pregnant because of the risk of early labor, pregnancy complications and effects on your child in utero and later in life.
If you’re looking for alternate ways to treat morning sickness, especially if it's severe, ask your health care provider for suggestions — there are natural remedies safer than marijuana as well as medications that have been approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Depending on the nature of your anxiety, your doctor can recommend a combination of therapies, and, if necessary, medication that’s safe for you and your baby.
If you are smoking marijuana during pregnancy, make sure you still visit the doctor regularly. Never skip your prenatal appointments because you’re worried about revealing your drug use. Your doctor should be your partner in making sure your baby-to-be is healthy.
Getting proper prenatal care — which also means being upfront with your practitioner about how often you use marijuana — is the best way to ultimately ensure that you'll have a happy, healthy pregnancy and baby.
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