When I was pregnant with my son, I got extremely lucky in that I managed to escape the clutches of morning sickness and nausea. For most of my friends, this wasn't the case. Even the regal Kate Middleton suffers from debilitating nausea [1] with each of her pregnancies. That, combined with other pains and anxieties [2] associated with growing a human inside of you, makes it easy to see why a woman would be interested in taking any medicine that could ameliorate negative symptoms.
CBD (short for cannabinoid) oil [3] is, therefore, a curious option. It contains trace amounts of THC, roughly under 0.3 percent [4], so women (in theory) could experience the medical benefits without the psychoactive high that comes from higher amounts of THC. Things like helping with anxiety [5], depression, and morning sickness can all be managed within recommended doses of CBD oil.
Despite the supposed benefits, they absolutely do not outweigh the risks, according to Dr. Elizabeth Moore, a distinguished OBGYN of Piedmont Fayette Hospital. "The American College of OB/Gyn just came out with an official policy statement on marijuana use in pregnancy and breastfeeding," she said. "The gist of their statement is, as with many things in pregnancy, to avoid marijuana use in pregnancy given the potential risk and no known benefit that would outweigh that risk. Presumably, the same would apply to CBD oil."
Dr. Moore continued, "The general rule of pregnancy is to try to avoid unnecessary exposures to anything potentially harmful. While an individual woman may feel she gets some benefit from the CBD oil, it is hard to imagine a benefit that outweighed the risk of disrupting how the baby's brain grows."
Due to CBD oil's recent rise to prominence and the lingering stigma attached to marijuana in general, there are virtually no scientific studies to confirm whether or not it's safe to take while pregnant. This is, of course, difficult to conduct a study for, since most women are unwilling to risk any damaging effects, no matter how small.
While CBD oil may be legal in your state, it's still recommended to speak with a doctor before beginning any medication, especially one that doesn't have enough scientific studies to support its usage. If your doctor doesn't recommend CBD oil, through conversation and research, you should be able to come up with a solution for an alternative approach to managing symptoms. "Vitamin B6 supplements, ginger, lemon, and mint would be safer herbal remedies than CBD oil," Dr. Moore concluded. "Acupressure also helps some women."