New Study Explores Why Women Use Marijuana During Pregnancy
By: Erin Hare
Marijuana use during pregnancy has doubled in the last
decade to become the illicit substance most commonly used by pregnant women. A
new study from the University of Pittsburgh explores the attitudes of
marijuana-using mothers-to-be.
The study,
published this month in the journal Drug
and Alcohol Dependence, found that pregnant marijuana users considered their
habit to be relatively harmless, but they did have some reservations about
potential effects on the developing fetus. Fear of legal action kept them from
discussing these concerns with their health care providers.
“What these women articulated is that they didn’t view marijuana as a drug,” said senior author Dr. Judy Chang, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences. “They perceived it to be very natural, almost herbal, of the earth, and as a result of being more natural, they viewed it as safer – even safer than prescribed medication, which they viewed as chemicals.”
Most women using marijuana during pregnancy were already
users before they got pregnant. They reported to the researchers that it made
them happier and more pleasant, or that it helped to manage chronic pain or
depression. During pregnancy, they said, marijuana helped with nausea and
appetite.
Despite the attitude that marijuana is relatively innocuous,
Chang found that pregnant marijuana users were still concerned about how it
might be affecting their unborn babies.
Today’s pregnant marijuana users may be putting their
children at even greater risk than the literature suggests, Chang said, because
the strains of marijuana are more potent than in the past, and users are
smoking both larger amounts and more frequently.
Yet many of the women enrolled in Chang’s study were
cautious about broaching the topic of marijuana use with their health care
providers because of the very real risk that they might be reported to child
protective services.
Health care workers are legally
required to report suspected prenatal drug use in 24 states and the
District of Columbia. Most of these states characterize in utero exposure to illicit substances as a form of child abuse.
So pregnant marijuana users turn to the internet, where
information is mixed and often biased.
Chang said a possible solution is for health care providers
to include a candid discussion about marijuana use during a woman’s initial “orientation
to pregnancy” appointment. Providers can address concerns and offer information
about how to minimize risk during pregnancy, all without the woman necessarily
having to disclose her substance use.
“You need to recognize that marijuana is a complicated issue
where there are multiple different perceptions and beliefs, so we should be
obligated to have a more nuanced conversation without assumptions about the other
person’s perceptions,” Chang said. “We should really be asking, ‘How do I help
you make the healthiest decisions for you and your baby?’”
