Cannabis use during pregnancy and postpartum

Objective To help obstetric care providers, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, and obstetricians, educate patients on the risks of cannabis use in pregnancy and postpartum and its relationship to nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

Sources of information The Ovid MEDLINE database was searched using the MeSH terms pregnancy, cannabis, lactation, and cannabinoid hyperemesis in various combinations. The relevant articles were reviewed and further sources were found within the references of these articles.

Main message In utero exposure to cannabis has been associated with long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes that persist into young adulthood. Cannabis should not be used to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and its chronic use might lead to the development of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

Conclusion There is no known safe level of cannabis use during pregnancy or lactation. Pregnant women should be counseled regarding the risks of in utero exposure and encouraged to abstain from use in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Read the full article: https://www.cfp.ca/content/66/2/98