In the United States, fewer pregnant women smoke or drink, but more use pot

MONDAY, November 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Over the last two decades, the percentage of American women reporting smoking or drinking while pregnant has decreased, but the percentage of women who report using marijuana has almost doubled new report finds.

Between 2002 and 2016, the percentage of pregnant women aged 18 to 44 who reported using marijuana rose from 2.85% to almost 5%, according to data from the US National Use Survey. drugs and health.

At the same time, a survey of 13,000 pregnant women in the United States found that far fewer people were smoking cigarettes in 2016 (10.3%) than in 2002 (17.5%). The percentage of women who consumed alcohol during their pregnancy also decreased slightly – about 8.4% in 2016, compared to 9.6% in 2002, the researchers said.

The increase in marijuana use during pregnancy has been found in other recent studies and is disturbing, said a research team led by Arpana Agrawal of the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine at St. Louis.

"Unlike consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, prenatal cannabis use has not decreased, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy, a key phase of the pregnancy. [brain] the research team. The researchers added that the increase in pot use during pregnancy was relatively similar in various subgroups of women.

A preliminary study, published in August in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggested that some pregnant women might turn to marijuana in hopes of easing morning sickness.

This study involved more than 220,000 American women. About 5% reported using cannabis during pregnancy, and over 11% among women who reported severe morning sickness.

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

Two obstetrician-gynecologists who did not participate in either study stated that trends in pot use are well known.

"I'm not surprised that marijuana use is increasing among pregnant women," said Dr. Adi Davidov, who heads the Gynecology Department at Staten Island University Hospital in New York.

"In recent years, marijuana use in the general population has increased because of the apparent lack of risk and legalization in some states," he said. "It would ensue that pregnant women would feel the same way."

Dr. Jennifer Wu practices at Lenox Hill Hospital, also in New York. She agreed that the increase in marijuana use during pregnancy is likely due to the fact that more and more Americans view cannabis as a "benign drug".

"The public needs to be better informed about the dangers for fetal development," said Wu.

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

"There are very few studies on the true effects of marijuana on the outcome of pregnancy," he said. "Until we know the exact results of marijuana use during pregnancy, all pregnant women should be advised to refrain from using it."

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

More information

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