Medical marijuana has been approved in most states and it is highly recommended for those who would opt for minimal side effects. With numerous medical benefits, it is now being offered to relieve morning sickness and other pregnancy complications.
Statistics from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists which was published in Healthline mentioned that "2 to 5 percent of women use marijuana during pregnancy. This number goes up for certain groups of women. For example, young, urban, and socioeconomically disadvantaged women report higher rates of use that reach up to 28 percent."
According to What to Expect, after marijuana was legalized, some midwives would recommend marijuana use to pregnant women to alleviate morning sickness and decrease anxiety. But one of the facts that concern the pregnant mother is the possibility of the THC of passing through the placenta. Marijuana's active ingredient (THC) can enter the fetus's bloodstream; thus safety is always the main concern of pregnant pot smokers.
A study published in the Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology back in 2014 mentioned that more than 20,000 birth records in the United States from 1997 to 2005 revealed that babies born with anencephaly increased in numbers. And it was mentioned by the What to Expect website that the numbers, "were almost doubled (although still extremely rare) among babies born to mothers who reported smoking marijuana."
Contrary to the claims that pot has an effect on fetuses, another study published in AJPJH involving more than 12,000 birth records in the United States in 1980 found no significant evidence that pot affects the unborn child. In addition to the report, it was also mentioned that health care professionals still agree to the fact that marijuana does not have an immediate effect on the fetus during pregnancy. They also came into conclusion that marijuana does not cause physical birth defects. Due to the ongoing contradiction of the studies, additional research are still being done in regards to smoking pot and it's correlation to pregnancy.
