In this multicenter cohort, maternal cannabis use documented using urine drug sampling was associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes related to placental dysfunction.
Many women ask about the safety of drinking caffeinated beverages during pregnancy. A recent study looked at this question, analyzing data from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies–Singletons, which included a group of 2,055 nonsmoking women at low risk for fetal growth problems. Caffeine consumption was evaluated using plasma concentrations of caffeine and paraxanthine (a metabolite of caffeine) and self-reported caffeinated beverage consumption at 10 to 13 weeks gestation.
Although the risks of smoking tobacco while pregnant are well documented and well publicized to the general population, women continue to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy. Smoking cigarettes is known to increase a woman's risk of having a low-birth weight baby and increases the risk of preterm delivery. While clinicians often ask about and discourage tobacco use during pregnancy, much less attention has been devoted to the use of marijuana during pregnancy, despite the fact that marijuana is the most commonly consumed illicit drug among pregnant women.
