Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Raises Birth Risk Concern

Researchers say emergency room visits and hospitalizations are on the rise. cannabis Its use by pregnant women raises concerns about risks such as premature birth, low birth weight, and adverse effects on the baby’s developing brain.

Their study was based on data from 980,398 pregnancies in 691,242 women in Ontario between January 2015 and July 2021, of whom 540 visited the ER or used cannabis. hospitalized for use.

Emergency room and hospital visits related to cannabis use during pregnancy have increased from 11 per 100,000 since legalization to 20 per 100,000 pregnancies. The study found that some patients were intoxicated or “very high” when they sought treatment, the lead investigator said.

Dr. Danielle Mylan, a family physician and addiction expert, said that while there was a small absolute increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, more women who used cannabis during pregnancy were not ultimately hospitalized. said there may be.

Mylan, a research fellow at the Bruyère Institute and Ottawa Hospital, said, “If so, I think it has important implications for the health of children born from these pregnancies.”

Some patients had cannabis use disorders and were unable to quit, he said, with about 22% experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

“This person is not someone who used cannabis once or twice during pregnancy,” said Mylan, who is also a postdoctoral trainee at ICES, formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Sciences.

The study, which also participated in Toronto’s Unity Health, was published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

Research suggests that some people may have used cannabis to relieve symptoms of morning sickness.

Jordana Zavitzky, who lives in Montreal, said when she was pregnant with her second child she knew exactly how to calm her miserable morning sickness by smoking more cannabis than she did with her first.

Zavitzky started using cannabis to treat depression, anxiety and PTSD about two years before her son was born in 2016, and stopped using prescription drugs because of the side effects.

During her first pregnancy, she restricted her use of cannabis because she worried it might affect her baby.

“I used to puff my joints about four times a week, once or twice,” Zavitzky said.

With her son at term and weighing 7 pounds 6 ounces and hitting all the milestones, she decided to use cannabis regularly during her second pregnancy.

“I used it as needed. I didn’t keep track of how much I used it. I just woke up, but I used it because it keeps me from throwing up in the morning. It has also increased my appetite.”

Zavitzky said her daughter was born in 2017 weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces and her obstetrician was aware of her cannabis use. Zavitzky co-founded an organization called Mother’s Mary to help those who want to try cannabis while pregnant.

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During both pregnancies, cannabis also helped ease pelvic pain that made walking difficult, she said.

“We’re not sitting around waiting like, ‘Let’s smoke a joint to get high.’ You’re sitting there thinking, I really want to get better. I don’t want to feel bad.”

Dr. Darin El-Chal, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the Ottawa Hospital and another study co-author, said some patients said legalizing recreational cannabis means it’s not as dangerous during pregnancy. Some people believe it, but it’s not true, he said.

Studies have shown that cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of premature birth, low birth weight babies, as well as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Elcher said. said Mr.

In this study, babies born at term are considered to have low birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds.

Pregnant women, especially those with drug histories, mental health conditions and severe morning sickness, would benefit from regular check-ups by an obstetrician without stigma, she said.

“We show that patients who received acute treatment for cannabis had higher rates of morning sickness. yeah.”

Common prescription medications for morning sickness have been well-studied over time, she said, and people experiencing nausea and other symptoms during pregnancy should talk to their health care provider before considering cannabis. said there was a need.

“I often hear from patients that they said, ‘I did the same thing in my last pregnancy.’ It’s a natural substance. “Not all pregnancies with it have a negative outcome, but the percentage of negative outcomes is higher than without it.”

The data do not show an increase in acute care visits due to the use of alcohol or other substances, including opioids, Elcher noted.

The Canadian College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there is strong evidence that cannabis use during pregnancy poses a lifelong risk of harm to the developing fetus, related to memory function, hyperactive behavior, anxiety and depression. ing.

© 2023 Canadian Press