Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Doubles The Risks Of Premature Birth

After a recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, health specialists have warned pregnant women not to smoke cannabis, as it may affect their unborn child. It seems that mothers that smoke cannabis during their pregnancy double the risk of premature birth.

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Doubles The Risks Of Premature Birth

The result of the research comes at a time when more and more young people start to believe that cannabis does not affect their health in any way and that it may even have medicinal properties. Now, a team of Canadian researchers discovered that cannabis use during pregnancy might lead to a raised possibility of premature birth, which puts the baby at risk.

After examining pregnancy records of mothers that smoked cannabis, the researchers found that 1/8 of them gave birth before reaching 37 weeks of pregnancy, which is classified as premature birth. On the other hand, pregnant women who did not smoke cannabis only have a 1/17 chance of giving birth prematurely.

There Are Also Other Adverse Effects Of Smoking Cannabis During Pregnancy

Cannabis users also face a higher possibility to suffer placental abruption, which is a severe complication that involves the placenta separating from the wall of the uterus, which can be lethal for the fetus. Even more, babies of cannabis users are more likely to require more intensive care in the neonatal ward.

“This new study adds to a growing body of evidence which shows smoking cannabis during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes for women and their children, including pre-term birth,” According to Dr. Pat O’Brien. “There are safety concerns around the use of cannabis during pregnancy, such as impaired fetal brain development, stillbirth, low birth weight, and pre-term birth, as well as the adverse effects of smoking for both mother and baby,” O’Brien added.