Maternal marijuana use, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal morbidity

Abstract

Background The NICHD Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN) previously demonstrated an association between stillbirth and maternal marijuana use as defined by the presence of 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC) in the umbilical cord homogenate. However, the relationship between marijuana use and perinatal complications in live births is uncertain. Objective Our aim was to examine if maternal marijuana use is associated with increased odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes and neonatal morbidity among liveborn controls in the SCRN cohort. Study Design Secondary analysis of singleton, liveborn controls in the SCRN dataset. Marijuana use was measured by self-report and/or the presence of THC in umbilical cord homogenate. Tobacco use was measured by self-report and/or presence of any cotinine in maternal serum. Adverse pregnancy outcome was a composite of small for gestational age (SGA), spontaneous preterm birth resulting from preterm labor with or without intact membranes (SPTB), and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HTN). Neonatal morbidity included neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and composite neonatal morbidity (pulmonary morbidity, necrotizing enterocolitis, seizures, retinopathy of prematurity, infection morbidity, anemia requiring blood transfusion, neonatal surgery, hyperbilirubinemia, neurological morbidity or death prior to hospital discharge). Effect of maternal marijuana use on the probability of an adverse outcome was estimated using weighted methodology to account for over-sampling in the original study. THC cord homogenate analysis was performed in the subset of women for whom biospecimens were available. Comparisons using logistic modeling, chi-square, and t-tests were weighted to account for oversampling of preterm births and non-Hispanic blacks. Results are reported as weighted percent and unweighted frequencies. Results Maternal marijuana use was identified in 2.7% (unweighted frequency 48/1610) of live births. Use was self-reported by 1.6% (34/1610) and detected by THC in cord homogenate for 1.9% (17/897), n=3 overlapping. Rate of tobacco use was 12.9% (217/1610), with 10.7% (167/1607) by self-report and 9.5% (141/1313) by serum cotinine. The composite adverse pregnancy outcome was not significantly increased in women with marijuana use compared to non-users (31.2% versus 21.2%, p=0.14). After adjustment for tobacco, clinical and socioeconomic factors, marijuana use was not associated with the composite adverse pregnancy outcome (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 0.56–2.96). Similarly, among women with umbilical cord homogenate and serum cotinine data (n=765), marijuana use was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.18–5.66). NICU admission rates were not statistically different between groups (16.9% users versus 9.5% non-users, p=0.12). Composite neonatal morbidity or death was more frequent among neonates of mothers with marijuana use compared to non-users (14.1% versus 4.5%, p=0.002). In univariate comparisons, the components of...

Prevalence and outcomes of prenatal recreational cannabis use in high‐income countries: a scoping review

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“…After duplicates were removed, 6542 publications were screened by title and abstract. Of these, 109 were retrieved for full‐text review and 41 studies were included in our scoping review …”

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Maternal cannabis vapor exposure causes long-term alterations in emotional reactivity, social behavior, and behavioral flexibility in offspring

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A comparison of common practices for identifying substance use during pregnancy in obstetric clinics

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