Pot and pregnancy: Is it safe for moms-to-be to use marijuana?

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    ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV) — With the legalization of medical marijuana in Missouri and recreational marijuana in Illinois, doctors are being asked much more about cannabis use.

Many of those questions are centered on pregnancy and fertility, as people want to know how cannabis could effect their baby.

News 4 sat down with two different doctors. Whether recreational or medicinal, both advised against using cannabis if you are trying to get pregnant or if you are pregnant.

“We don’t recommend it mainly because we don’t know enough about it, and there are studies that suggest a long term effect on brain development,” Dr. Shayna Conner Asst. Professor, OBGYN at Washington University told News 4.

When it comes to fertility, doctors said both men and women should stop using cannabis is they are trying to get pregnant. Studies show marijuana use can affect sperm count in men.

“If you are using cannabis recreationally, I would stop using it,” Dr. Kenan Omurtag Asst. Professor, Infertility at Washington University told News 4. “It’s probably not the reason why you haven’t gotten pregnant yet but it’s probably not going to help it, so I would just stop it.”

As for CBD, the answer is the same: Doctors said you should not use CBD if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. While CBD may not contain THC, it still comes from the cannabis plant, and studies show it could also cause abnormalities in brain development.

“It does cross the placenta. So, even though it doesn’t have the psychoactive or high feeling that comes from it, it can still cross into the fetus and causes abnormalities in brain development,” Dr. Conner explained.

Dr. Conner told News 4 many women also have concerns about their use of cannabis or CBD before they knew they were pregnant.

“If you’ve used it in the past, that’s fine. Be honest with your provider, tell them about your past, but also we would recommend stopping during pregnancy because of the potential effects on the baby,” said Dr. Conner.

Simply put, doctors said you should err on the side of caution until they know more about the effects of cannabis on fertility or pregnancy.

“Until we learn more, we still take a conservative approach, especially for those people trying to conceive,” Dr. Omurtag said.

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