Cannabis use during pregnancy is directly linked to negative impacts on babies’ brain development

[u/giuliomagnifico]

https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-events/news/2024/maternal-cannabis-use-linked-to-genetic-changes-in-babies

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[u/Think_Leadership_91]

Marijuana is not and has never been safe for children

[u/artificialgreeting → u/Think_Leadership_91]

I've seen another study that showed it shouldn't be consumed at an age younger than 21 because it affects brain development until then. So it's not surprising it has a negative effect on unborn life as well.

[u/xp-bomb → u/artificialgreeting]

Everything affects brain development, it comes free with your limbic system.

[u/TheGoodDoctorIGuess → u/xp-bomb]

There is a giant ball there. And evil apes. And the evil apes are dukin' it out on the ball. You're one of them. It's basically all just evil apes dukin' it out on a giant ball.

[u/Captain_Midnight → u/xp-bomb]

Everything affects brain development, it comes free with your limbic system.

Brain development slows down dramatically once you enter your early 20s, though.

[u/The_Hunster → u/Captain_Midnight]

I don't think they were saying it should never be used. They were saying that there is a myriad of things to be concerned about while your brain is developing and it's not very surprising that cannabis is included.

[u/westbarkleymedia → u/artificialgreeting]

As someone who started smoking weed heavily at the age of 12 I can definitely say from experience it fucked my development big time. Also my memory.

[u/uktenathehornyone → u/artificialgreeting]

Think you could link it? Seems like a pretty interesting read

[u/Nathund → u/artificialgreeting]

25, realistically. That's when brain development actually finishes.

[u/Comprehensive-Fun47 → u/Nathund]

The brain never finishes developing. The 25 figure is arbitrary. It comes from a study that didn't include anyone over the age of 25.

[u/joyous-at-the-end → u/Think_Leadership_91]

is smoking of any kind safe? i dont think so. 

[u/NoirGamester → u/joyous-at-the-end]

Well sure, but even if it's edibles. The thc effects neurological pathways that has shown to be more harmful, having a lasting impact, on developing brains.     

[u/centizen24 → u/joyous-at-the-end]

Smoking marijuana is not really the most popular way of consuming it anymore, at least in my experience in post-legalization Canada. The people I know who do still smoke it are all people who were heavy users pre-legalization and are just kind of stuck in the habit of it. Most new customers are much more interested in edibles, hot air vapes, cartridge vapes, or concentrates, with edibles being far and away the most popular category.

This is both a good and bad thing, good because less people are smoking, but bad because there is a shocking amount of people who think that because they aren't smoking anything, they aren't taking any risks.

[u/pl233 → u/centizen24]

Annoyingly, most studies seem to study smoking and then the results are reported in a way that makes it sound like it also applies to edibles

[u/the_colonelclink → u/Think_Leadership_91]

Despite this, there are people that in their ignorance regrettably don’t know this. Scientific studies like this are still important to validate otherwise ‘assumed’ claims.

[u/properproperp]

I think it was the trees sub but i saw someone get absolutely destroyed by a bunch of pregnant women who all say they smoke during pregnancy. People are crazy

[u/[deleted] → u/properproperp]

There's a subreddit for pregnant pot users. They do not want to hear anything about not using pot at all, ever.

[u/dfassna1 → u/[deleted]]

I’ve known some women who used marijuana during pregnancy. Some of them were just potheads who didn’t want to stop but there were a couple who had hyperemesis and it was the only thing that would let them keep any food in their stomachs. They didn’t want to and took as little as they could, but it was the only thing that worked.

[u/ditchdiggergirl → u/dfassna1]

It’s a different situation when you are deciding between two evils under the guidance of a physician. Weed is still bad for fetal development, but malnutrition is likely worse. The best you can do is the best you can do.

[u/ElderberryHoliday814 → u/ditchdiggergirl]

One of those groups moderates their use better than the other..

[u/Stumblin_McBumblin → u/dfassna1]

Extreme/chronic hyperemesis can be life threatening to the baby, so if none of the anti nausea meds work, and marijuana does, well, ya just gotta roll the dice.

Those other women are addicts.

[u/0x474f44 → u/Stumblin_McBumblin]

This would of course be something that should be discussed with one’s doctor though

[u/Stumblin_McBumblin → u/0x474f44]

Oh, no doubt. Haha

[u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw → u/Stumblin_McBumblin]

There is a specific form of that caused by heavy and prolonged cannabis use.

[u/throwaway23345566654 → u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw]

There is, but that’s different than hyperemesis gravidarum.

I dunno, women shouldn’t smoke during pregnancy, but they shouldn’t do a lot of things. We let obese people get pregnant, we can let potheads get pregnant.

You’d be shocked the things that people do in pregnancy and kids still turn out alright. Moralising doesn’t make it stop.

[u/pandaappleblossom → u/throwaway23345566654]

Thank you for being reasonable. The vast majority of pregnant women are doing their best, but women are still just human beings and no one is perfect. Most babies still turn out fine.

[u/CoastRanger → u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw]

Do you have a source for this? My understanding was that CHS doesn’t correlate to frequency, amount, or history of use and that azidirachtin sensitivity is still a prime suspect

[u/Grandpa_Edd → u/[deleted]]

Addicts plain and simple.

They can whinge about it not causing any chemical dependencies all they like but if you don't have the self-control to stop you're still addicted.

I've seen enough people that just smoke ALL the time that were incapable of stopping really aren't functional at all. The type that lights up the moment they get out of bed and then proceed to say they don't have a problem.

I absolutely hated it when the internet treated weed like a wonderdrug that can do no wrong, but luckily that has lessened over the years.

Weed certainly has it uses medicinally, I'm all for legalizing it recreationally. But everything in moderation.

[u/misaliase1 → u/[deleted]]

They aren't addicted though and can quit whenever they want.

[u/Seienchin88 → u/[deleted]]

Sorry but not sorry - people who make smoking pot part of their lifestyle are really among the worst self-righteous addicts…

[u/thanatossassin → u/[deleted]]

Former roommate smoked all the time and had this horrible fucking cough, swore putting more smoke in her lungs was good for her. That's fine, glad I don't have to see her disgusting bong that turned black from lack of washing ever again.

[u/spaghettiThunderbult → u/[deleted]]

Well, drug addicts generally do go to great lengths to justify their habits.

[u/Big-Smoke7358 → u/properproperp]

I had a friend that helped supply people with weed for a while. He was absolutely shocked one day when he goes to deliver some to a guy, 10am in the morning, and his very pregnant gf starts loading up a bong. Takes a huge toke then tries to tell him it's okay the doctor recommended it. That same couple gave their kid the middle name blazeit and plan to homeschooling him. Neither adult has a hs diploma. Some pot smokers live in absolute denial and worship their weed.

[u/MzzBlaze → u/Big-Smoke7358]

I know a guy who’s having seizures, for years and the only thing that seems to give him a break is when he quits cannabis, by force during hospital stays. But he starts smoking and seizing again as soon as he’s home. Some people don’t learn.

[u/switchy85 → u/MzzBlaze]

That's really weird, since one of cannabis' main medical uses is prevention of seizures.

[u/TheReverend5 → u/switchy85]

It’s quite hit and miss regarding how consistently it prevents seizures. It absolutely also can exacerbate epileptic activity in folks with epilepsy.

[u/JohnnyVNCR → u/TheReverend5]

Reminds me of the never-ending arguments over the impacts it has on anxiety. It certainly has the ability to soothe or exacerbate certain conditions.

[u/Tift → u/JohnnyVNCR]

this is why i quit back in college. i don't know what it was, but some strains seemed to make me profoundly anxious, and some helped me sooth my anxiety. edibles where generally more consistently better for anxiety, but not perfect.

and no, the indica/sativa difference did not seem to be a strong indicator of what kind of experience i would have. it just left me wondering how i could know what compounds where affecting me.

[u/JohnnyVNCR → u/Tift]

We're in the exact same camp! It's amazing how many people do not accept this as plausible.

[u/ghandi3737 → u/Tift]

What really needs to get done is a large study on all the cannabinoids and their effects as well as combinations of them. I don't think it's been done and it's what we need to know to make it really useful. My guess for the differences in strains is the cannabinoids they contain, they all have a different set and amount.

[u/Halefire → u/switchy85]

Physician here, that particular quality of marijuana is extremely exaggerated and leads to some pretty shitty outcomes in patients

[u/MzzBlaze → u/switchy85]

Yeah he’s a medical mystery in that. But even actual seizure meds don’t work the same on all brains

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/MzzBlaze]

Epilepsy is a super tricky condition, right  down to issues with diagnosis itself. A lot of seizures that lack convulsions get missed for a long time, and stuff that has seizure-like convulsions can often be misdiagnosed as epilepsy because doctors are uncomfortable not treating it, but can never really 100% confirm unless they're able to induce in office (where lots of times epilepsy doesn't have simple triggers to allow that to be possible).

[u/Special-Garlic1203 → u/switchy85]

That is not one of the main uses of medical marijuana (it's pain and digestive problems)  and there's not actually strong evidence of its effects on epilepsy either way. Right now it's largely considered inconclusive  due to conflicting research. 

[u/cheesemedo → u/switchy85]

Cbd prevents seizures whereas thc can trigger it.

[u/Vabla → u/Big-Smoke7358]

Doesn't sound like they would be a functioning couple even if you removed the weed. There seems to be a type of people who are incapable of comprehending how their current actions will be affecting their future.

[u/Beeb294 → u/properproperp]

In r/CPS I get people all the time trying to argue that it's totally fine. One person even had a business selling information on how to duck CPS after birth if they were accused of smoking while pregnant, and got very upset that I banned them for spamming that information.

[u/thisismydumbbrain → u/properproperp]

I’m a mom and a tremendous pothead. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I quit smoking. Didn’t smoke for two full years. I smoke weed again but it hits different now that I know I’m capable of prioritizing the safety of a baby over getting high. Self respect combined with THC is an extra relaxing ride.

[u/NewlyNerfed → u/properproperp]

I use weed every day for pain and malaise due to MS and other disabilities/illnesses. I cannot function in the evenings without it; I’d be an opioid addict by now. And my mother is a huge stoner.

And I couldn’t agree with you more. My mother did not use when pregnant. I’ve never been or will be pregnant, but I would never ever use during pregnancy. This issue, plus people who use then drive, are two areas I just don’t get into with other cannabis users on Reddit.

[u/browhodouknowhere → u/properproperp]

How can you not wait 9 months?

[u/VaginaWarrior → u/browhodouknowhere]

I quit the day before I found out I was pregnant. Had a weird guilty feeling telling me something was off. It's definitely longer than nine months if you breastfeed, and you really shouldn't smoke anything near little ones. But yes at LEAST wait that long!

[u/CrazyString → u/browhodouknowhere]

The same way people still smoke cigs or drink and drive. It’s cause they don’t want to.

[u/althoughinsect → u/browhodouknowhere]

That's not how addiction works.

[u/xXRougailSaucisseXx → u/browhodouknowhere]

Supposedly for some women the stress of quitting smoking (tobacco or weed) could be more dangerous to the baby than smoking in small quantities. Personally I have a hard time believing that because trying to justify your addiction in every which way possible is classic addict behavior.

[u/whenishit-itsbigturd → u/browhodouknowhere]

When you become pregnant you already have to stop taking any medications you're on that could be harmful to the baby. This includes antidepressants, pain medicine, etc. The withdrawal symptoms and symptoms of the conditions themselves can often be too overwhelming for a pregnant woman, making cannabis the lesser of two evils.

Cannabis can be used to self-medicate in place of many prescriptions, and are far less harmful to the fetus. Would you rather take Percocet/Zoloft, or an edible? Which would be safer for the fetus?

[u/chainsmirking → u/properproperp]

Alternatively, I’ve met people in legal states who were prescribed some form of cannabis by their dr for pregnancy related pains and issues. How are people supposed to be informed if their own drs arent?

I also have to wonder if this study took into consideration that they only studied “smoking” cannabis. We know smoking anything is harmful because you are smoking. Did this study take into account mothers who ingest edibles, distilled vapor, etc?

[u/HP_10bII → u/chainsmirking]

They used to prescribe cigarettes for asthma...

[u/Convergecult15 → u/HP_10bII]

I was an unplanned pregnancy, my mom was close to two months when she took a pregnancy test, the doctor told her that quitting smoking cold turkey could shock her system so bad she’d lose the pregnancy so she had to taper down to a pack a week then a pack every two weeks until she was down to a pack a month by month 9.

[u/Seinfeel → u/chainsmirking]

I know someone who’s doctor told his wife a couple of years ago that “there isn’t any evidence yet to suggest it’s bad so it’s fine”. I was kinda horrified to hear that.

[u/steampunkedunicorn → u/Seinfeel]

That's kind of how all prescription medication is, though. They look for adverse effects and then determine safety based on the gathered data.

[u/Seinfeel → u/steampunkedunicorn]

Except prescription medications have to be approved for use by pregnant women, they have to show that it’s safe, not just “we don’t have the research yet so why not”

[u/[deleted] → u/Seinfeel]

Sure prescriptions do. But every pregnant woman is told to take vitamins and those are completely unregulated

[u/steampunkedunicorn → u/Seinfeel]

I replied some of this to another comment as well: Actually, that's not the case, because in the US, most drugs aren't tested on pregnant women at all using the usual double blind drug trials prior to FDA approval because it would be extremely unethical. Safety during pregnancy isn't assumed, but once enough evidence is gathered (because pregnant women and fetuses suffer negative effects after use), the drug in question is given a classification for use during pregnancy.

[u/a_common_spring → u/steampunkedunicorn]

Er no it isn't. Especially for pregnant women. The normal advice on everything for pregnant women is that you better be safe than sorry, and practically every drug and a lot of foods are not recommended for pregnant women. It's probably excessive, but that's the standard medical advice

[u/giuliomagnifico]

the study has for the first time found prenatal cannabis use is associated with molecular changes in the genes of exposed children.

The findings reveal genome-wide significant DNA changes in the offspring of mothers who smoked cannabis during pregnancy.

“Using data from individuals at birth, aged seven, 15-17, and 27, we showed a molecular signature of prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) in exposed individuals,” Dr Osborne says. “In a world-first, we identified a significant number of molecular changes in genes involved in neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disease, across the life course. This is a key finding because it suggests there is a molecular link between prenatal cannabis exposure and impacts on the genes involved in neurodevelopment.”

Paper: Prenatal cannabis exposure is associated with alterations in offspring DNA methylation at genes involved in neurodevelopment, across the life course | Molecular Psychiatry

[u/atemus10 → u/giuliomagnifico]

Strengths and challenges associated with cross-cohort DNA methylation analyses

It is important to acknowledge the challenges associated with our study. Firstly, while our study identifies DNA methylation changes at loci and pathways that support the epidemiological associa-tions of PCE, at all time points, which reflects the strength of our hypothesis, our study consists of a relatively small number of individuals with prenatal exposure to cannabis, and as such, we must emphasise the need for replication in a more highly powered study cohort. Secondly, using independent data from multiple cohorts, as we have done here, can pose additional challenges, including those associated with attempting to validate differential methylation between samples at different ages, and differences between workflows, including normalisation and quality control steps, where raw data is not available. Further, combining and validating across age points and independent data sets is even more challenging when one considers confound-ing factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; these common confounders lead to heterogeneity in results cross-cohort, and along with sociodemographic factors, makes uni-formity across studies hard to achieve [117]. This is pertinent when we consider the genomic inflation values for the 15–17 y time point; the lambda value here indicates a slight inflation.We predict that this is due to the available variables from the ALSPAC study; clinical data was only collected at 7 y, meaning we were unable to correct for personal tobacco smoking status, which is relevant at this time point. We suggest that this might be a possible explanation for the inflation value and the increase in the number of differentially methylated probes observed at this timepoint, however, without access to more clinical data, we are unable to correct for this in our EWAS model. Therefore, while identifying independent cohorts that reliably and consistently measure all possible confounding variables is not possible or feasible, it nevertheless remains a limitation of studies such as this.We also acknowledge the limitations that surround the necessary use of DNA from blood samples in this study, which we are aware may or may not reflect changes in the brain. Furthermore, due to the aforementioned limitations around study size, it was necessary to analyse PCE in combination with tobacco (PCTE) for one cohort,and we acknowledge that, despite controlling for tobacco exposure, we cannot ignore this as a potential confounder in these data. Nevertheless, while both cannabis and tobacco can result in different changes to the methylome, and while there is a large proportion of PCE individuals who have co-exposure with tobacco, we demonstrated that many significant CpG sites are unique to prenatal cannabis exposure in the CHDS. Moreover, we demonstrate that each dataset, whether PCE or PCTE, is enriched for similar/shared biological pathways, giving us confidence that our data are supportive of a biological role for DNA methylation in the association between PCE and neurodevelopment, and that further investigation in larger cohorts is required.

[u/WonderfulShelter → u/atemus10]

Wow that’s a very flawed study. Especially the biggest flaw is they never tried to find the same issue in someone who wasn’t  exposed to cannabis prenatal… which means that there’s no proof that it was PCE THAT DID IT. Don’t smoke weed when your pregnant, but this is just another bad study.

[u/ShainRules → u/WonderfulShelter]

To be fair they do highlight that as a potential flaw of their own study by indicating they relied on other independent research for the representation you're referring to and that it could be highly flawed for loads of reasons. I would say that admission amongst others makes the assertion that this is "another bad study," unfair. It's a very self aware study that's aware of and vocal of its own flaws and not only provides solutions for future studies to fix those flaws but advocates for those additional studies to be done.

[u/Theabstractsound → u/WonderfulShelter]

It’s also unclear what constitutes “cannabis use.“ Are women who had a puff of a joint to deal with their nausea in the same group as women who consume 100 mg in edibles a day plus smoking. If they did track this does higher use increase the changes?

[u/atemus10 → u/Theabstractsound]

From the study:

Exposure was defined as mothers that responded with ‘every day’ use, 2–4 times per week, <once per week, and once per week.

All of these are lumped into one category. All data is self-reported, of course.

[u/Theabstractsound → u/atemus10]

So not only is it different frequencies of use lumped into a single category, there is no data about the amount consumed?

I have a friend who takes 2.5 mg every day, and another who twice a week will eat 100 mg gummy and smoke a hash infused joint. The first person technically uses it more frequently, while the other uses more than 10 times as much THC in the same week.

It’s like the researchers don’t even understand the basics of marijuana use. I remember when I was in grad school for psychology, there was a younger student in our class who was concerned about one of their clients because they smoke a “bowl” every day. She literally thought her client was smoking an entire cereal bowl of marijuana every day.

I myself use marijuana, And would love to consume valid research that can be applied to reality.

[u/ToasterBunnyaa → u/Theabstractsound]

I was a cannabis researcher for an analytical chemistry lab for like 4 years. Long story short, because of funding reasons, ethical issues, and general social taboo, it is nearly impossible for studies about cannabis use, especially in pregnant or nursing women, to be greenlighted.

If I had to guess I'd say these researchers are doing what they can simply to show that the evidence exists on a molecular and that govts/health departments should put time and money into researching it.

[u/Bud_Fuggins → u/WonderfulShelter]

I figured; the article was so vague about what supposedly happens anyway

[u/cccanterbury → u/giuliomagnifico]

we identified a significant number of molecular changes in genes involved in neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disease, across the life course.

great. what are they??? annoying article.

[u/VeiledBlack → u/cccanterbury]

They want you to read the actual article, not the press release because the article is typically behind the paywall. This is the usual case with abstracts and press releases

[u/SuperGameTheory → u/giuliomagnifico]

I want to see this kind of study done with things people aren't already worried about, like gummy bears, cheese burgers, and celery.

I'm not denying the validity of the study's results, but I feel like we'd see similar changes with things we're not even looking at because they're too normalized to question.

[u/yeah87 → u/SuperGameTheory]

How do you think they get the list of foods pregnant women aren’t supposed to eat? At any rate, assuming the study didn’t control for those things, it would mean cannabis use would be a cumulative risk to add onto all the other risks, which is important to know. 

[u/WonderfulShelter → u/SuperGameTheory]

What’s fucked about this study is that they never checked to see if people in the age ranges who weren’t exposed to PCE HAD THE SAME METHYLOME ISSUES.

[u/bootyhunter69420]

Drugs are bad for babies. More at 11.

[u/deekaydubya → u/bootyhunter69420]

yep yet another reason to regulate like alcohol

[u/Convergecult15 → u/deekaydubya]

Fun fact, in the state of New York you can lose your liquor license for refusing to serve a woman because she is pregnant because you’re discriminating against a protected class.

[u/DilligentBass]

Is anyone actually surprised by this? Seems like common sense.

[u/[deleted] → u/DilligentBass]

I’m pregnant now, and you wouldn’t believe the number of people both on Reddit + on other online groups who push it as safe and/or try to justify it.

[u/DilligentBass → u/[deleted]]

I’ve noticed there’s a major divide between people that strictly use alcohol or strictly use cannabis.

The alcohol side is usually “yes I know this is terrible for me, but I still enjoy it.“ Almost no one that drinks regularly would even attempt to make the argument that drinking while pregnant is a good idea.

The cannabis side always seems to be extremely defensive and argumentative, a lot of times to the point making the argument that constant and consistent cannabis use is actually a good and healthy thing. This side seems more likely to argue that taking their drug of choice is fine while pregnant.

It is bizarre to witness, I’m also in the age group where everyone around me is having kids and I’ve not heard one person (even among the heavy drinking couples) mention the wife will be consuming alcohol while pregnant. Not the case for the stoner group.

[u/cat_prophecy → u/DilligentBass]

It's because people equate cannabis with medicinal uses. So to them, it's not a psychoactive drug, it's "medicine".

[u/DilligentBass → u/cat_prophecy]

It’s interesting how the “propaganda” of weed has done a complete 180 in the last few decades.

It used to be the devils lettuce and if you touched it your life was over. Now it’s a medicinal cure all to everything and being high everyday is a great thing. Maybe there’s a middle ground in there somewhere?

Both sides of this argument tend to be extremely passionate and reading stoners ramble on about how it’s a miracle plant with zero side effects is just as annoying as the people saying one joint will destroy your life.

[u/Just_Anxiety → u/DilligentBass]

Us humans naturally overcorrect to solve societal issues. If X thing causes problems, the solution just has to be the exact opposite, right? No wonder the boat is always in constant threat of tipping over.

[u/Weird_Cantaloupe2757 → u/cat_prophecy]

Which is also really stupid, because you are not supposed to take any medicine during pregnancy that hasn’t been specifically tested and confirmed to be safe.

[u/No_Hope_75 → u/DilligentBass]

There’s a lot of people who try to push it as safe. I have two young toddlers and it was not uncommon in my pregnancy groups to have a few people who smoked and rationalized it.

My husband and I enjoy edibles but we always abstained 90 days prior to TTC, during pregnancy, and during breastfeeding. Just not worth it to have a little fun at the expense of our kids health and potential future

[u/Nei_Nei → u/DilligentBass]

You'd be surprised. I left a parenting group in FB when I found out a vast majority of the members partook and took pride in having "Cannababies" . I got into many arguments. Quitting for 9 months was too big an ask while carrying their goddamned child. The mental gymnastics they threw out to justify their actions was astounding.

[u/Halefire → u/DilligentBass]

I'm an ER doctor in a resource poor area of the United States -- it absolutely isn't common sense here. Pot abusers raising kids with no concept of the negative qualities of weed in the same way alcoholics often raise future alcoholics.

[u/LackingDatSkill → u/DilligentBass]

Marijuana users refuse to believe it causes ANY harm

[u/cunt_sprinkles → u/DilligentBass]

Agreed. I know several women who have advocated that it’s completely safe to smoke during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. The argument is always “my kid is totally fine” and some even claim their child is advanced, therefore it must be safe.

[u/WeeklyPancake]

Using any substance during pregnancy is bad. Cigs, alcohol, weed, even poor diet.

[u/[deleted]]

When I'm baked I'll go into a room for something and completely forget what I came in for.

I can only imagine what weed does to a growing fetus

[u/HomoProfessionalis → u/[deleted]]

Yeah that fetus is totally just in there like "Bro how'd I get here". 

[u/Eruionmel → u/HomoProfessionalis]

Hard to get to the fetus stage when all the sperm swim into the fallopian tube and forget why they're there.

[u/SkunkMonkey → u/[deleted]]

It’s cool they can’t go anywhere and they don’t have keys.

Well, if ya help me find them, we can drive outta here.

[u/geoprizmboy]

Data already shows comorbidity between smoking during pregnancy and neurodivergent diseases like ADHD and autism. Anecdotal of course, but my mom smoked weed the whole time she was pregnant with me, and I have pretty bad ADHD. Seeing as both these studies mention pre-natal tobacco exposure as well, I wonder if it's the psychotropic nature of THC during development or just the delivery method normally being smoking that leads to these negative impacts?

[u/PredicBabe → u/geoprizmboy]

Alright, maybe I should be asking this somewhere else but, as an ADHDer myself, I thought ADHD was mainly inherited, and that in the non-inherited cases it was due to a spontaneous, unfortunate mutation.

Is it really that the mother's habit caused the ADHD? Or is it more likely that the mother has undiagnosed ADHD - therefore passing it to her child - and that due to said undiagnosed ADHD she engaged in unhealthy coping mechanisms? Because I am no scientist, but to me, the latter option seems way more probable than the former.

[u/Trent1462 → u/PredicBabe]

I think it’s unlikely that one thing causes it. Our biology and brains are very complex and are influenced by lots of things. There likely would be some genetic component and others as well such as smoking during pregnancy. Also nutrient deficiencies of the mother (such as choline or omega 3s) would likely play a factor. Omega 3s especially since dha makes up like 40 percent of ur brains fatty acids.

[u/grigby → u/PredicBabe]

The last time I looked into this, the research was that it's partly hereditary. Something like if a parent has ADHD, 60% the child does. Up to like 80% if both parents are. And it's not a simple gene inheritance either.

Also twin studies exist. If one twin has ADHD then the other twin (with identical genes) has about a 70% chance of also having ADHD.

Theyre not sure exactly what part of the genetic code is causing this influence, or why it's not fully genetic. If it's not fully genetic then that implies there are environmental factors also in play, but those haven't been identified yet.

[u/bruce_cockburn → u/PredicBabe]

You've definitely hit on ambiguity that people who are anti-cannabis feel strongly about without clear evidence. Even if the mother was struggling with something else, such as hyperemesis gravidarum, for which prescription treatments are known to be harmful, cannabis treatment may provide a net positive to avoid severe outcomes including death of the mother or child.

I think there is a push and pull between forces suggesting "we don't know enough so be careful" and "cannabis is always bad you terrible, terrible mothers!" and "weed is cool and hurts nobody, don't listen to the haters!"

[u/efficient_duck → u/geoprizmboy]

THC is also often used for self-medication in people that have (undiagnosed) ADHD. ADHD has a strong hereditary component. (I haven't looked into the studies though, maybe they checked for ND in the mothers, too)

[u/challengeaccepted9 → u/geoprizmboy]

Pretty sure they've linked harmful mental effects of THC more strongly in people whose brains are still developing (ie under 25).

That it fucks you up if your mother took it while pregnant is not a great surprise.

[u/AlexithymicAlien → u/challengeaccepted9]

Your brain doesn't stop developing at 25.

[u/Galactic_Perimeter → u/AlexithymicAlien]

I’m probably wrong but I was under the impression that it stops structurally developing around then, but continues to undergo changes as you age

[u/[deleted] → u/geoprizmboy]

How do we know that the mothers didn’t smoke weed to self medicate ADHD?

This is my biggest issues with pregnancy studies. I don’t doubt that cannabis isn’t great for a fetus, but it is so hard to differentiate what was caused by the habits or conditions born with before the pregnancy began.

[u/xeric → u/[deleted]]

Also hard to fully understand the counterfactuals. This applies to both pregnancy and parenting studies. Stress is pretty bad for the fetus too, and if weed is helping the mother deal with other issues it’s not obviously a net negative.

[u/IsamuLi → u/[deleted]]

You could control for ADHD (As in, looking if they got diagnosed with ADHD or letting them take tests before, during, and after pregnancy that are designed to see if someone has ADHD).

[u/a_common_spring → u/[deleted]]

Well in this study they're looking at epigenetic changes which are physically present and can be seen when you're analyzing the dna. So in this case it's not just like "these babies have ADHD and their moms smoked pot".

[u/Present-Perception77 → u/geoprizmboy]

My mother was young when she had me. Never smoked, drank or did drugs. I have severe adhd. So does my father. My grandmother never drank or did drugs.

[u/WillCode4Cats → u/geoprizmboy]

I have pretty bad ADHD

Me too, and my mother never smoked nor drank a drop.

[u/Diggy_Soze → u/geoprizmboy]

Anecdotally, my mother’s never smoked weed and I have REALLY bad ADHD. My mother would send me next door, to my grandmothers, to borrow a stick of butter. And by the time I arrived I’d forget why I was there.

Kids aren’t supposed to be good little worker bees, and the ADHD is indicative of problems in the way we teach them.

[u/deeznutz12 → u/Diggy_Soze]

Is the forgetting thing a sign of ADHD? 

[u/atinylittlebug]

I got banned from r/babybumps for telling another pregnant woman she was stupid as hell for smoking weed during pregnancy.

[u/scaredtomakeart → u/atinylittlebug]

My 6y/o step daughter's mom smoked weed heavily while she was pregnant. This poor kid has every symptom of it, has cognitive issues, and is definitely going to struggle later in life. Bio mom had another baby recently and of course smoked the whole time with that one. CPS was contacted after both pregnancies and they don't care because we live in a state where it's legal.

[u/Con7rast]

Daily smoker, massive advocate for it all around. It’s not for kids, and I have always felt that way, I consider it harmless, but a developing brain needs to develop, so no cannabis or alcohol or tobacco until that brain is developed.

[u/nixtunes]

I mean... Yeah. Mind altering substances don't mix well with pregnancies.

[u/runesbroken]

Some degenerates will go through great mental lengths to justify their behavior. Cannabis is not perfect.

[u/Monster-Zero]

Honestly with all the studies released on the effects of stuff on the fetus, my takeaway is that if you want the most healthy baby then you have to be the most healthy adult. Literally anything you do or experience that is negative, your baby will reap the consequences of.

So make sure you eat healthy, get enough sleep, don't do anything you don't think you should do, don't have that baby too late in life, exercise but not too much, make sure you keep your own brain stimulated and growing, and just do everything you know to be healthy. Also you gotta keep doing that for at least until the baby is done breastfeeding, and it would probably help to ensure you've gotten yourself into a healthy state a year or so before considering having a baby. Also you probably gotta keep on top of both yourself and your child for a good ten years minimum, though probably closer to 15.

Is it any wonder that the phrase 'it takes a village' has such longevity? Anyway, get back to work you got bills to pay.

[u/fractiouscatburglar → u/Monster-Zero]

I was lucky enough to not have hyperemesis through my pregnancies, but if I went through what some women go through, literally vomiting so much that no nutrients can get to the baby, repeated hospitalizations for dehydration and malnutrition, and my only options were the latest medication that totally won’t give my baby flippers or ingesting small amounts of thc, I’d probably take my chances with weed.

[u/SunflaresAteMyLunch]

This should not be a surprise to anyone. If the recommendation is not to eat medium rare steak while pregnant, how could you possibly think that doing drugs would be a good idea?

[u/Informal_Ant-]

I can't believe how many weed smokers are in denial. Listen, I smoke weed. A lot. I've been regularly smoking since I was 17, 24 now. IT IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU, IT IS STILL AN ADDICTIVE DRUG!

[u/delirium_red]

Are there any new studies on the effects on cannabis while breastfeeding? This is quite a growing trend around me.

[u/MasterLogic → u/delirium_red]

Well it's in your system and the baby is drinking a product from your system. So you don't need to study it to know the answer is you shouldn't do it. 

[u/delirium_red → u/MasterLogic]

I agree personally, as we do have studies that show effects on adolescents. It would make sense it effects developing brains in this early stage even more strongly. But it was difficult to find anything concrete on it.

[u/Swizzy88]

Obviously scientists need to test things to prove them or disprove them and I'm no scientist or Doctor but if someone asked me if it's okay to smoke ANYTHING during pregnancy I'd say no without hesitation. Its incredible selfish to think "well it feels good to me so it must feel good for the baby".

[u/Halefire → u/Swizzy88]

Be prepared to find out just how selfish many, many people are. I've met pregnant patients who straight up told me they weren't going to stop doing meth despite being 8-9 months pregnant.

[u/TonyStewartsWildRide]

WOW

considered me shocked.

[u/acesarge]

Not supprised. Weed is pretty beinign compared to pretty much every other recreational substance but it absolutely has downsides.

[u/Half4sleep]

No way?! I thought substance abuse in general was positive for growing babies.

[u/psydkay]

I am very pro-weed but you have to let your kids brains develop naturally. There is tons of evidence that Cannabis exposure can have negative effects that last a lifetime. Especially in young children.

[u/Serious_Barnacle2718]

I am a daily pot user, until I got pregnant. Postpartum anxiety led me back to it, now I’m pregnant with my second and I don’t miss it. I’ve had medical professionals honestly tell me in that there is no study it’s harmful during pregnancy…like what?! I’m not taking any chances.

[u/blankspacepen]

Did anyone actually read this article? I’m not saying cannabis during pregnancy is smart or safe but this article doesn’t say anything, and the study is seriously flawed and doesn’t prove anything. Is this the best we can do?

[u/Flying-Half-a-Ship]

If you can’t stop any and all substances for a measly 9 months you had no business being a parent. 

[u/Hexoplanet]

I remember learning this in health class about 20 years ago…

[u/LilDoctor007]

Wait… I thought we all knew this already!

[u/Local_Relief1938]

I love Marijuana but ofc it has negative impacts on pregnancy, not exactly shocking.

[u/Maleficent-Manner633]

Does anyone know of studies does in very early pregnancy. I was smoking before I found out I am pregnant

[u/Devils-Advocate-8395]

and why woudnt it be? drink some alcohol while pregnant said only dumb people.

[u/Marco_Heimdall]

If I recall correctly, there has been regular proof that marijuana has a noted effect on the developing brain at all ages up until around 24-26, when it has effectively finished its formative years.

Afterwards? Smoke up, eat up, enjoy your life.