Fewer Pregnant U.S. Women's Smoke or Drink, Purpose More Are Using Pot

MONDAY, Nov. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Over the past two decades, the percentage of women who say they have smoked or drunk during pregnancy, but the percentage who say they've used marijuana has nearly doubled, a new report finds.

Between 2002 and 2016, the percentage of pregnant women aged 18 to 44 who said they used rose from 2.85 percent to nearly 5 percent, according to the U.S. National Survey of Drug Use and Health.

At the same time, the survey of nearly 13,000 pregnant women in 2016 (10.3 percent) than in 2002 (17.5 percent). There was also a slight decline in the percentage of women who drank alcohol during a pregnancy – about 8.4 percent in 2016, down from 9.6 percent in 2002, the researchers said.

The rise in marijuana is used in the past, and is troubling, said Arpana Agrawal of the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"Unlike alcohol and cigarette use, prenatal cannabis use has not decreased, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy, which is a key phase of neural [brain] Development for the fetus, "the research team said.

One prior study, published in August JAMA Internal Medicine, suggests that some pregnant women may be turning to marijuana in hopes of easing morning sickness.

That study involved more than 220,000 U.S. women. About 5 percent said they'd used cannabis while pregnant, with 11 percent among women complained of severe morning sickness.

The study was led by Kelly Young-Wolff, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland.

Two obstetrician-gynecologists who were not involved in either of the two studies.

"I am not surprised that marijuana is used by pregnant women," said Dr. Adi Davidov, who directs ob-gyn services at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.

"Over the past several years, marijuana is used in the general population because of the perceived lack of risk and legalization in certain states," he said. "It would follow that pregnant women would also feel the same way."

Dr. Jennifer Wu practices at Lenox Hill Hospital, also in New York City. She agreed that it is more likely to be used by Americans as a "benign drug."

"There is more to education about the dangers to the developing fetus," said Wu.

According to Davidov, the effects of marijuana exposure on the developing fetus remain largely unknown.

"There are very few studies looking at the true effects of marijuana on pregnancy outcomes," he said. "Until we know the exact consequences of marijuana use in pregnancy, all pregnant women should be advised to abstain from using it."

The new study was published Nov. 5 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

More information

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has more on morning sickness.