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AURORA - The effects of marijuana use during pregnancy are largely unknown and researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are hoping to change that.
“If you look at the literature now, you find very mixed results,” Assistant Professor Torri Metz said. “About half the studies say there is an association between marijuana use and adverse outcomes; about half say there is no association.”
Metz is a high-risk obstetrician and maternal-fetal medicine specialist who delivers babies at University of Colorado Hospital.
Metz and her colleagues were recently awarded a Child and Maternal Health Pilot Grant to develop a questionnaire for new mothers about marijuana use during their pregnancy.
With the patients’ consent, researchers will administer a survey to new mothers and take a sample of the umbilical cord upon delivery to determine if the mother did use marijuana throughout the pregnancy—and to what extent.
Researchers will compare the self-report with the umbilical cord sample, allowing researchers to determine the best way to collect information about marijuana use during pregnancy for future studies.
Although physicians tell women they should not use marijuana while pregnant, Metz says it’s difficult to provide them with data to support the recommendation.
“I am seeing more and more self-reported marijuana use in this clinic,” Metz said. “I don’t know if this is a reflection of women using more marijuana or of the women being more willing to tell us about their use.”
Further study is needed between marijuana use and fetal growth restriction, hypertension in pregnant mothers, stillbirth, spontaneous preterm birth and other conditions.
“These are the obstetric issues we face every day and we don’t understand the impact of marijuana use on these outcomes,” Metz said. “I want to change that.”
“If you look at the literature now, you find very mixed results,” Assistant Professor Torri Metz said. “About half the studies say there is an association between marijuana use and adverse outcomes; about half say there is no association.”
Metz is a high-risk obstetrician and maternal-fetal medicine specialist who delivers babies at University of Colorado Hospital.
Metz and her colleagues were recently awarded a Child and Maternal Health Pilot Grant to develop a questionnaire for new mothers about marijuana use during their pregnancy.
With the patients’ consent, researchers will administer a survey to new mothers and take a sample of the umbilical cord upon delivery to determine if the mother did use marijuana throughout the pregnancy—and to what extent.
Researchers will compare the self-report with the umbilical cord sample, allowing researchers to determine the best way to collect information about marijuana use during pregnancy for future studies.
Although physicians tell women they should not use marijuana while pregnant, Metz says it’s difficult to provide them with data to support the recommendation.
“I am seeing more and more self-reported marijuana use in this clinic,” Metz said. “I don’t know if this is a reflection of women using more marijuana or of the women being more willing to tell us about their use.”
Further study is needed between marijuana use and fetal growth restriction, hypertension in pregnant mothers, stillbirth, spontaneous preterm birth and other conditions.
“These are the obstetric issues we face every day and we don’t understand the impact of marijuana use on these outcomes,” Metz said. “I want to change that.”
