Addiction and Pregnancy

  • Health Effects of Marijuana During Pregnancy

  • No amount of marijuana has been proven safe to use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its first official guidelines, advising women who are pregnant or nursing to avoid marijuana use because it isn’t safe for them or their children.

  • Whether smoked, eaten in food (edibles), or vaped, marijuana is stronger than ever before, which makes use during pregnancy especially risky for a developing baby’s health. Marijuana contains nearly 500 chemicals, including the mind-altering compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). These chemicals can pass through a woman’s placenta to her baby during pregnancy.

  • Studies show that marijuana use during pregnancy may be harmful to a baby’s health and cause a variety of problems, including:

  • Fetal growth restriction (when a baby doesn’t gain the appropriate amount of weight before birth).

  • A greater risk of stillbirth

  • Preterm birth (being born before 37 weeks of gestation)

  • Low birth weight

  • Long-term brain development issues affecting memory, learning, and behavior

  • Marijuana in Breast Milk

  • Marijuana use while breastfeeding also comes with risk of harms to the baby.

  • THC and other chemicals in marijuana can be passed to a baby through breast milk, increasing the baby’s risk for problems with brain development.

Alcohol and Pregnancy in the United States

  • According to the 2019 NSDUH, 9.5 percent of pregnant women ages 15 to 44 in the United States used alcohol in the past month.36

  • The prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in the United States was estimated by the Institute of Medicine in 1996 to be between 0.5 and 3.0 cases per 1,000.37

  • An NIAAA-supported study of more than 6,000 first-graders across four U.S. communities estimated that as many as 1–5 percent of first-grade children have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).38

fasd_english-508.pdf


Trastornos del espectro alcohólico fetal (TEAF)

No hay una cantidad segura de alcohol que se pueda tomar durante el embarazo o mientras se esté tratando de quedar embarazada. Tampoco hay un momento durante el embarazo en el que sea seguro beber alcohol. Todos los tipos de alcohol son igualmente dañinos, incluso todos los vinos y la cerveza.

Los TEAF son prevenibles si la mujer no bebe alcohol durante el embarazo.

Por qué el alcohol es peligroso

El alcohol en la sangre de la madre pasa al bebé a través del cordón umbilical. Beber alcohol durante el embarazo puede causar aborto espontáneo, muerte fetal y una variedad de discapacidades físicas, intelectuales y del comportamiento para toda la vida. Estas discapacidades se conocen como trastornos del espectro alcohólico fetal (TEAF). Los niños con TEAF pueden tener las siguientes características o conductas:

  • Características faciales anormales como, por ejemplo, surco menos marcado entre la nariz y el labio superior (este pliegue se llama filtro o surco subnasal).

  • Cabeza de tamaño pequeño.

  • Estatura más baja de la estatura promedio.

  • Bajo peso corporal.

  • Mala coordinación.

  • Conducta hiperactiva.

  • Dificultad para prestar atención.

  • Mala memoria.

  • Dificultades en la escuela (especialmente en matemáticas).

  • Discapacidades del aprendizaje.

  • Retrasos en el habla y el lenguaje.

  • Discapacidad intelectual o coeficiente intelectual bajo.

  • Capacidad de razonamiento y juicio deficientes.

  • Problemas de succión y dificultades para dormir en los bebés.

  • Problemas de audición y de visión.

  • Problemas del corazón, los riñones o los huesos.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth. These effects can include physical problems and problems with behavior and learning. Often, a person with an FASD has a mix of these problems.

Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes to the baby through the umbilical cord. Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics and behaviors:

Polysubstance Use in Pregnancy

Use of multiple substances in pregnancy is common

  • Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum)

  • Small head size

  • Shorter-than-average height

  • Low body weight

  • Poor coordination

  • Hyperactive behavior

  • Difficulty with attention

  • Poor memory

  • Difficulty in school (especially with math)

  • Learning disabilities

  • Speech and language delays

  • Intellectual disability or low IQ

  • Poor reasoning and judgment skills

  • Sleep and sucking problems as a baby

  • Vision or hearing problems

  • Problems with the heart, kidney, or bones

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)