Using pot to ward off morning sickness during your pregnancy? You’re not alone.
New research published Tuesday in JAMA found that marijuana use increased from 4 to 7 percent of pregnant women between 2009 and 2016.
Evidence has pointed to pot use during pregnancy as something that could hinder fetal growth and brain development, though a survey of pregnant women from 2007 and 2012 found that they barely perceived any harm in using it. Still, chemicals in marijuana like THC could adversely affect the health of a baby, and marijuana use could mean a low birth weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For this study, researchers distributed a questionnaire to 279,457 pregnant women 12 years and older treated by Kaiser Permanente Northern California, which asked about their marijuana use since their pregnancy. The women also had a urine toxicology test as a part of their regular prenatal care, when the fetus was about eight weeks along.
Based on the questionnaire or the toxicology test, pot use for these women ticked up from 4.2 percent to 7.1 percent over the years of study. What’s more: Every year, the result was higher for the toxicology test compared to how many women self-reported using the drug.
In 2016 alone, 22 percent of pregnant females under 18 years old and 19 percent between the ages of 18 and 24 tested positive for marijuana.
“We were concerned to find that the prevalence of marijuana use in pregnancy is increasing more quickly among younger females, aged 24 and younger, and to see the high prevalence of use in this age group,” study author Kelly Young-Wolff, licensed clinical psychologist and research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, told CNN.
Several limitations for the study included that researchers couldn’t tell whether the marijuana traces found during testing were the result of marijuana use before or after the women knew they were pregnant. It’s possible to test positive for pot about 30 days following its use, though it depends on how often they’ve used it as well as its strength.
“It is possible, but unlikely, that some toxicology tests identified prepregnancy use,” the authors wrote.
Also, keep in mind that this study was only conducted in California.
“Think about marijuana use from their perspective, especially in Northern California. California legalized medical marijuana use in 1996, so they have grown up with the idea of it not only not being illegal but being a medical therapy,” Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, professor and obstetrics and gynecology chief at the University of Texas Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, told CNN. Horsager-Boehrer was not a part of the study.
In the U.S., approximately 1 in 25 women use marijuana during pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency suggests you talk to your doctor if you are using pot while pregnant or when you’re planning to have a baby.
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Study: Marijuana Use Is Up Among Pregnant Women originally appeared on usnews.com
