Prenatal marijuana use and neonatal outcome

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Perinatal Medicine
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• Maternal substance use during pregnancy is a significant concern for fetal development.
• Marijuana use prevalence among pregnant individuals necessitates understanding its impact on offspring.
• Existing research on cannabis and pregnancy outcomes shows mixed results, requiring further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between marijuana use and various infant growth parameters.
• To assess the effects of marijuana exposure during different pregnancy trimesters on neonatal outcomes.
• To analyze the relationship between prenatal marijuana use and morphological abnormalities, gestational age, and birth weight.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study design involving 519 pregnant women.
• Interviews conducted at each trimester to assess marijuana and other substance use.
• Assessment of growth parameters, morphological abnormalities, and gestational age in liveborn singletons.
• Statistical analysis using regression models to adjust for covariates.

Main Results:

• Few significant effects of marijuana use on birth weight, head/chest circumference, gestational age, or growth retardation were observed after covariate adjustment.
• A small but significant negative effect of marijuana use in the first two months of pregnancy on birth length was identified.
• A positive association between marijuana use in the third trimester and increased birth weight was found.

Conclusions:

• Prenatal marijuana exposure has minimal overall impact on most infant growth parameters.
• Early pregnancy marijuana use may be associated with reduced birth length.
• Third-trimester marijuana use might be linked to a slight increase in birth weight.