PAGE 14 September/October 2020
(© famveldman - stock.adobe.com)
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention states, "There is no
known safe amount of alcohol use
during pregnancy or while trying to
get pregnant. There is also no safe
time during pregnancy to drink. All
types of alcohol are equally harmful,
including all wines and beer." This is
due to how alcohol enters the
bloodstream and reaches the fetus
through the umbilical cord, raising
the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum
disorders (FASD) that might harm
the child throughout their life.
Research surrounding cannabis use
during pregnancy points to negative
birth outcomes as well.
The CDC reports that 10% of pregnant women in the
United States drink alcohol. Additionally, one-third of
these women report that they binge drink, with binge
drinking defined as four or more alcoholic beverages in
a sitting. The National Center on Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities warns that any amount of
alcohol consumption during pregnancy might result in
miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature labor.
Why do some pregnant women take the risk? Some
women use alcohol as a coping strategy for challenges
in their life, including violence, depression, poverty, or
isolation. The risk of isolation is great if none of their
friends have or are expecting children. Additionally,
some women find the abrupt change in their life
circumstance, due to pregnancy, difficult to cope with.
Pregnancy, particularly one that is unplanned, disrupts
a woman's life in numerous ways - some of which
might not have been anticipated. Alcohol addiction
prior to pregnancy is another reason some women
drink while they are expecting.
While some pregnant women avoid alcohol, these
same women believe it's safe to smoke marijuana
while pregnant. According to the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA), marijuana usage
among pregnant women has doubled between 2002
and 2017. This is partially due to the legalization of
THC (the psychoactive compound in marijuana) across
the United States leading people to believe that it's
safe to consume while pregnant. Additionally, experts
say it is possible that the number of pregnant women
using cannabis isn't increasing but more women feel
comfortable enough to admit that they use marijuana
while pregnant, due to decreasing stigma surrounding
the drug.
In the JAMA study, only 0.5% of the women reported
that cannabis use during pregnancy was recommended
(© LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - stock.adobe.com)
Substance
Abuse Poses
Risks to
Pregnant
Women
By Tempest Wright,
Staff Writer
