Marijuana use during pregnancy may be producing birth defects; a cautionary tale.

Years ago it was learned that alcohol consumption may over time cause birth defects and harm the unborn fetus.

Today, the wide use of Marijuana may be having its own effects on unsuspecting mothers who may use it to curb nausea during pregnancy or may use it recreationally.

Dynamic Chiropractic, a magazine that goes out to chiropractors internationally published an article written by its publisher, Donald M. Peterson Jr. raising the alarm as many expecting mothers a now using marijuana on a regular basis. He draws the parallel of how alcohol consumption in the 1960s with expectant mothers resulted in harm until the risks were finally documented.

He cites a meta-analysis of 16 studies that show that “maternal marijuana exposure during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of preterm deliveries and neonatal intensive care unit admission and decreased mean birth weight, 1-minute Apgar score, and head circumference of babies.”³

More data is now being collected regarding opinions from the National Institutes of health as well as the effects of marijuana use on the offspring of fathers who also are regular users of the drug.

While warning people to avoid the use of Marijuana while pregnant may seem sufficient, it is possible that avoidance of its users may need to include both the mother and father while trying to get pregnant.

I have referenced the article below.

Weeding Out Potential Birth Defects

BY DONALD M. PETERSEN JR., BS, HCD(HC), FICC(H), PUBLISHER

Patients Are Unknowingly Exposing Their Children

An important study published last year revealed paternal alcohol consumption increases the likelihood of birth defects by 35 percent. With plenty of studies dating back to the 1960s, most expectant mothers know to stop drinking once they become pregnant or are planning to; but the majority of your patients (if not all) are still unaware that future fathers should curb their alcohol consumption long before conception.1

There is another societal trend research is just beginning to reveal may be even more harmful to newborns: marijuana use. A study last June found: “Rates of prenatal cannabis use are increasing alongside perceptions that cannabis is a harmless therapeutic for pregnancy-related ailments, while rates of prenatal use of alcohol and tobacco are decreasing.”2
Sadly, without enough studies to demonstrate otherwise, women are using marijuana to curb morning sickness and other related ailments, unaware of the potential impact on their unborn child.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 studies was published at the beginning of this year. The authors found that “maternal marijuana exposure during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of preterm deliveries and neonatal intensive care unit admission and decreased mean birth weight, 1-minute Apgar score, and head circumference of babies.”3