Clinical guideline recommends avoiding cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding
A Canadian clinical guideline concluded cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding should be avoided given limited safety data, while emphasizing screening, supportive communication, and harm reduction if abstaining is not feasible.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Based on GRADE-assessed evidence, the guideline recommends avoiding cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or reducing use as much as possible if abstaining is not feasible. Key focus areas include screening, dependence and withdrawal management, communication approaches, maternal/fetal outcomes, pain control, postpartum care including secondhand smoke, and breastfeeding considerations.
Key Numbers
Literature search covered January 2018 to February 2021. Guideline addresses screening, dependence, withdrawal, communication, maternal/fetal outcomes, pain control, postpartum care, and breastfeeding.
How They Did This
Clinical practice guideline searching PubMed and Cochrane for articles published January 2018 to February 2021. Included clinical trials, observational studies, reviews, and guidelines on cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Evidence quality rated using GRADE.
Why This Research Matters
Cannabis use during pregnancy is increasing. Clinicians need evidence-based guidelines to counsel patients, particularly as social acceptability of cannabis grows.
The Bigger Picture
The guideline takes a harm reduction approach: rather than simply advising against use, it provides strategies for reducing harm when complete abstinence is not achievable.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Limited high-quality evidence available. Most studies are observational with potential confounders. Long-term follow-up data on cannabis-exposed pregnancies is sparse.
Questions This Raises
- ?What are the specific dose-response relationships between cannabis exposure during pregnancy and fetal outcomes?
- ?Are some formulations or routes of administration less harmful?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Recommends avoidance or maximum reduction if abstaining not feasible
- Evidence Grade:
- GRADE-assessed clinical guideline, but underlying evidence is largely observational with limited long-term data.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022 with literature through February 2021.
- Original Title:
- Guideline No. 425b: Cannabis Use Throughout Women's Lifespans - Part 2: Pregnancy, the Postnatal Period, and Breastfeeding.
- Published In:
- Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 44(4), 436-444.e1 (2022)
- Authors:
- Graves, Lisa E(2), Robert, Magali(3), Allen, Victoria M(2), Dama, Sumeet, Gabrys, Robert L, Tanguay, Robert L, Turner, Suzanne D, Green, Courtney R, Cook, Jocelynn L
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03884
Evidence Hierarchy
Summarizes existing research on a topic.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Should cannabis be completely avoided during pregnancy?
The guideline recommends avoidance based on limited safety data. If abstaining is not feasible, reducing use as much as possible is recommended as a harm reduction approach.
What about cannabis and breastfeeding?
The guideline also recommends avoiding cannabis during breastfeeding, given the absence of safety data on long-term effects of cannabis exposure through breast milk.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03884APA
Graves, Lisa E; Robert, Magali; Allen, Victoria M; Dama, Sumeet; Gabrys, Robert L; Tanguay, Robert L; Turner, Suzanne D; Green, Courtney R; Cook, Jocelynn L. (2022). Guideline No. 425b: Cannabis Use Throughout Women's Lifespans - Part 2: Pregnancy, the Postnatal Period, and Breastfeeding.. Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 44(4), 436-444.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2022.01.013
MLA
Graves, Lisa E, et al. "Guideline No. 425b: Cannabis Use Throughout Women's Lifespans - Part 2: Pregnancy, the Postnatal Period, and Breastfeeding.." Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2022.01.013
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Guideline No. 425b: Cannabis Use Throughout Women's Lifespan..." RTHC-03884. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/graves-2022-guideline-no-425b-cannabis
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.