Does the Breast Milk of Marijuana Users Affect the Health of Premature Infants?

Short-term health of early premature infants seems not to be disturbed by the breast milk of marijuana users. However, the long-term effects remain unknown as per a study “Maternal Marijuana Use During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Assessing In-Hospital Outcomes of Early Preterm Infants,” to be presented at the American Academy Of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition.

Increased use of marijuana has been reported in women of childbearing age since the legalization of marijuana. These women pass tetrahydrocannabinol (THC – one of the active ingredients in marijuana) through breast milk.

Marijuana - Types, Uses & Adverse effects
Marijuana (cannabis) is a drug obtained from the hemp plant and often abused for its psychoactive effects, though it has medicinal uses as well.

‘Short-term health of early premature infants seems not to be disturbed by the breast milk of marijuana users. However, the long-term effects remain unknown. ’

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As the effects of THC on the health of early preterm infants were unknown, several neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) restrict the use of breast milk from THC-positive women. This deprives preterm infants of the nutritional benefit of breast milk.

Marijuana Effects on Preterm Infants

To dive deep into it, the study team analyzed the medical records of 763 early preterm infants from 2014 to 2020. The team observed that 17% of their mothers tested positive at the time of delivery for THC.

Cannabis
Cannabis has a long history of medicinal, recreational, and industrial use and comes from a bushy plant with thick sticky flowers called Cannabis Sativa

The comparison was done between early preterm infants who were fed breast milk from THC-positive mothers and those who were fed either formula or breast milk from THC-negative mothers.

Surprisingly no differences were found in short-term health impacts of the infants such as breathing difficulties, lung development, and feeding issues. Both the infant groups were similarly healthy by the time of their discharge.

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“Teasing out the effects of THC can be very difficult to study. We found that women who screened positive for THC were frequently late to obtain prenatal care, which can have a detrimental effect on their baby separate from marijuana use. This is important to note for future public health interventions,” says Natalie L. Davis, MD, MMSc, abstract author and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Attending Neonatologist at the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital.

Source-Medindia

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