Marijuana Dispensaries Are Giving Bad Advice To Pregnant Women

Catherine Pearson
Updated
(Photo: Carlo107 via Getty Images)
(Photo: Carlo107 via Getty Images)

Pregnant women often struggle to manage the relentless nausea and vomiting that can be a hallmark of early pregnancy. Some eat small meals throughout the day hoping to find some relief; others try things like ginger, anti-nausea medications ... and weed.

Recent data show that the percentage of expectant moms who said they used marijuana has increased from about 2 percent nationally to nearly 4 percent in the last two decades.

Although the reasons for this small but significant uptick are not clear, many women cite morning sickness as a reason for turning to cannabis — and a new study published Wednesday suggests that legal dispensaries are hardly discouraging them.

Instead, it found that 70 percent of Colorado dispensaries endorsed cannabis products to help women with nausea in the first trimester.

“That was concerning to us, given that we would not recommend cannabis products for pregnant women,” said study author Dr. Tori Metz, a maternal-fetal medicine physician with the University of Colorado.

Metz and her fellow researchers called a mix of 400 medical and retail dispensaries in the state, posing as pregnant women. They stuck to a simple script, saying, “Hi, I’m eight weeks pregnant, and feeling really nauseated. Are there any products that are recommended for morning sickness?”

Of the 70 percent of dispensaries that recommended cannabis, most suggested a specific method — most often edibles, followed by inhalation, tinctures and topical applications.

Out of those who said using marijuana would be OK, 65 percent said their recommendations were based largely on their opinion, starting by saying things like “personally.”

But the remainder outright asserted that marijuana is safe during pregnancy, although the American College Of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics disagree, saying doctors should discourage women from marijuana use while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Studies have shown that cannabis can help cut down on nausea and vomiting associated with treatments like chemotherapy, but the big issue with pregnant women is the lack of data on safety. Animal models show that THC — tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis — crosses the placenta to the baby.

“There just is not good evidence for the safety of marijuana during pregnancy. There are some studies that show children of women who use marijuana may be at higher risk for ADHD, behavioral issues or learning issues. They may have lower birth weights,” said Dr. Leena Nathan, an OB-GYN with the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Until something is really proven safe over time, we cannot recommend it as a treatment,” she added, emphasizing that just because something is natural — as is often argued when it comes to marijuana — does not mean it has no risk of harm.

Nathan said she has definitely experienced an uptick in patients asking about using cannabis during pregnancy — or talking to her about having used it — since California legalized recreational marijuana.

Unfortunately, dispensaries don’t seem to be encouraging women to touch base with their doctors.

Roughly 80 percent of those at the dispensaries who gave the OK recommended that the woman on the line talk to her health care provider before trying a cannabis product, but only 32 percent did so without being prompted.

The ACOG recommends over-the-counter treatments such as vitamin B6 and doxylamine, which is found in many sleep medications, as safe treatment options, as well prescription drugs that can help women keep their food down.

“Like anything else in pregnancy, we really try to get women on medicines that we do have safety data for and that we do know are effective in pregnancy,” said Metz. “We don’t have any data that says marijuana is effective for nausea and vomiting and pregnancy.”

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1. Your Blood Volume Increases

During pregnancy, the volume of blood in a woman's body increases by a whopping 50 percent in order to help support the uterus. Accordingly, the amount of blood pumped by the heart increases as well. As the <a href="http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/womens_health_issues/normal_pregnancy/physical_changes_during_pregnancy.html" target="_blank">Merck Manual explains,</a> by the end of pregnancy, a woman's uterus receives one-fifth of her pre-pregnancy blood supply.

2. You Actually Glow

If you find yourself looking all dewey and glow-y during your pregnancy, it's not just because you're brimming with I'm-about-to-become-a-mom sentiment; there's also a physiological basis for it. The aforementioned increase in circulation that occurs during pregnancy causes many women's faces to appear brighter, or flushed. And, as the <a href="http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/skinchanges.html" target="_blank">American Pregnancy Association reports</a>, as women's bodies produce more hormones, their oil glands can go into overdrive, resulting in that famed pregnancy glow.

3. You Grow An Entire Organ

During pregnancy, women's bodies grow a <em>whole new organ</em>, i.e., the placenta -- a structure that develops in the uterus and provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby (while also playing a key role in waste removal). The organ typically grows onto the upper part of the uterus and is linked to your baby via the umbilical cord. After your baby's born and the placenta's job is done, it is simply expelled through the birth canal (although some women, including a growing number of celebs, then ingest it for its reputed health benefits -- a practice known as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-b-kristal/placenta-to-eat-or-not-to_b_1865446.html" target="_blank">"placentophagia"</a>).

4. You Loosen Up

More specifically, as you move through your pregnancy, hormones (especially the aptly named "relaxin") help soften the ligaments that hold your bones together and the pelvic bones themselves begin moving to accommodate your baby's birth. Sometimes, this can cause a bit of pain and discomfort (if it's severe enough, you should see your doctor), although as <a href="http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/ask-heidi/pelvic-pain.aspx" target="_blank">What To Expect reports</a>, once your baby is born, your joints will firm up again.

5. You Stop Shedding

Do you have the thickest, most amazing head of hair, like, ever? During pregnancy you stop shedding hair at it's normal rate. <a href="http://www.babycenter.com/0_hair-and-nail-changes-during-pregnancy_1456563.bc" target="_blank">As Baby Center explains</a>, most of the time between 85 and 95 percent of the hair on your head is growing, while the rest is in a "resting" stage, before it falls out. But during pregnancy, higher estrogen levels extend that growth phase, meaning you lose less hair and may suddenly find yourself with a gloriously thick ponytail. (Although, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/post-pregnancy-body_n_3659565.html" target="_blank">as we previously reported</a>, after your baby's born, that "extra" hair will fall out.)

6. You Breathe Differently

It's not uncommon for pregnant women to feel short of breath, particularly later in their pregnancy when the uterus grows and begins to press on the diaphragm. But breathing also changes because of the high levels of the hormone progesterone in your body signal your brain to lower the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, <a href="http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/womens_health_issues/normal_pregnancy/physical_changes_during_pregnancy.html" target="_blank">Merck explains </a>-- yet another amazing example of all the things your body does to support and accommodate a growing baby.

7. You Become Particularly Orgasmic

<a href="http://www.babble.com/pregnancy/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-orgasms-in-pregnancy/" target="_blank">As Babble explains</a>, the increased blood flow to a woman's genitals -- plus the general surge in any number of hormones that influence desire -- can make many pregnant women feel libidinous. And those changes can also increase sensitivity, allowing many women to orgasm more easily. But as with all things related to sexuality, this is totally individual -- some women want nothing to do with sex while they're pregnant.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.