Umbilical Cord Collection and Drug Testing to Estimate Prenatal Substance Exposure in Utah

Abstract

Based on statewide umbilical cord collection and drug testing, nearly 1 in 10 maternal–neonatal dyads had prenatal substance exposure.

Feasibility and acceptability of collecting umbilical cord tissue for prenatal cannabis research: A mixed-methods research study

“… 7 In a state-wide analysis of anonymous cord tissues in Utah, 2.5% of umbilical cords tested positive for cannabis. 1 Accumulating evidence suggests that the levels of cannabinoids in umbilical cord are mainly associated with the cannabis use in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy and may not be reliable indicators of earlier use. 7 …”

“…Cannabis use during pregnancy is common with increasing trends in recent years. 1,2 For instance, based on the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), from 2002 to 2020, the prevalence of cannabis use in the first, second, and third trimesters increased from 6.3%, 1.9%, and 2.0% in 2002 to 16.0%, 4.2%, and 4.7% in 2020, respectively. 2 The accumulating evidence shows that cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of adverse events from the preconception to postpartum period.…”

“…Recent evidence shows that umbilical cord tissue can be a convenient and appropriate substitute matrix to meconium for identifying in-utero exposure. 9 Previous research using umbilical cord tissues for ascertainment of prenatal cannabis use has used anonymous cord tissues 1 or secondary data where participants were not aware their cord tissues were tested for cannabis. 7 The aim of this study was to understand the feasibility and acceptability of collecting umbilical cord tissue for prenatal cannabis research in a community sample of pregnant persons.…”

Dynamic Overrepresentation of Accumbal Cues in Food- and Opioid-Seeking Rats after Prenatal THC Exposure

“…Use of cannabis during pregnancy is on the rise 1,2 with an estimated prevalence ranging from 7%, according to self-reports 3 , to 22.4% when analyzing umbilical cord samples 4 . Pregnant individuals report using cannabis to relieve stress and anxiety 5 , a trend worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic 6 .…”

Test or Talk

“…This month's issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology (see pages 153 and 163) includes two articles that illuminate purported strengths and limitations of drug testing. 1,2 In the first, Smid et al 1 present public health surveillance data from statewide deidentified cord blood, which indicate that roughly 10% of newborns have prenatal substance exposure. The authors are unable to differentiate iatrogenic exposure, from prescribed medication, from treated addiction, from untreated addiction, yet they extrapolate the total number of substance-exposed neonates in the state.…”