Marijuana use during pregnancy might result in children developing greater stress and anxiety, a study showed.
Some expectant mothers might use marijuana to cope with morning sickness or relieve anxiety, but the study, published Nov. 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, suggested doing so can alter the uterus and result in a child becoming aggressive, hyperactive, and anxious, according to a report.
“People are saying that cannabis is benign, and take it for your anxiety and your nausea, but you need to know that it may have long-term effects on your child,” said Yasmin Hurd, Ph.D., senior researcher of the study and director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai in New York City.
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By age 3, children of mothers who used marijuana while pregnant displayed changes in hormone levels, aggression, hyperactivity, and elevated anxiety, according to the study.
These developments, along with physiological changes in the measures of the heart’s stress response, cannot be definitively tied to marijuana exposure, but there is strong evidence to suggest a relationship exists, Hurd said.
“We can’t say that anything in humans is causal because of the complexity and many confounds,” she said.
However, THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana, is known to change the immune system of pregnant animals, Hurd said.
Examination of the placental tissue of pregnant marijuana users reported alterations to genes linked to immunity, which can result in inflammation and a weaker resistance to germs, the study reported.
Recognizing this, expectant mothers should be instructed to avoid marijuana while pregnant, similar to how they are counseled to avoid alcohol, Hurd said.
“We need to know what happens to these children later in life,” she said. “They may be completely fine, or they may need interventions to help them to overcome some of the behavioral problems they have — that’s really critical.”
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The study was conducted by Hurd and her team following more than 300 mothers and tracking the behavior, hormone levels, and heart functions of their children.
