Maternal Marijuana Research Articles

Maternal marijuana use during lactation and infant development at one year

Prenatal marijuana exposure is associated with adverse perinatal effects. Very little is known about the effect of postnatal marijuana exposure on infant development. Postnatal exposure can result from maternal use of marijuana during lactation. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) transfers and concentrates in the mother's milk and is absorbed and metabolized by the nursing infant. The present study investigated the relationship between infant exposure to marijuana via the mother's milk and infant motor and mental development at one year of age. One hundred and thirty-six breast-fed infants were assessed at one year of age for motor and mental development. Sixty-eight infants were exposed to marijuana via the mother's milk. An additional 68 infants were matched to the marijuana-exposed infants on pre- and postpartum maternal alcohol and tobacco use. Marijuana exposure via the mother's milk during the first month postpartum appeared to be associated with a decrease in infant motor development at one year of age.

Jitteriness in Full-Term Neonates: Prevalence and Correlates

The prevalence and correlates of jitteriness were evaluated in a sample of 936 healthy full-term infants. Jitteriness was seen in 44% of this sample: 23% were classified as mildly jittery, 8% as moderately jittery, and 13% as extremely jittery. Jitteriness was seen most commonly in infants who were sleepy or active and least commonly in infants who were quietly wakeful during the neonatal examination. Jittery infants were more likely to be difficult to console when crying (P less than .01) and less visually alert (P less than .001) than were nonjittery infants. Jitteriness was seen more commonly in slightly smaller (P less than .05) and shorter (P less than .001) infants, in those more than 12 hours old (P less than .01), and in those not exposed to general anesthesia (P less than .05). In an expanded sample of 1054 healthy and sick full-term infants, jitteriness was observed more commonly in neonates who had been exposed prenatally to maternal marijuana use (P less than .01), but not to cocaine use (P = .1), and whose mothers had a positive postpartum urine assay for marijuana (P less than .05) or cocaine (P = .06). The magnitude of these drug effects, however, was small. These findings have important implications for the early parent-infant relationship, pediatric practice, and future research.

Effects of maternal marijuana and cocaine use on fetal growth

International Journal of Gynecology & ObstetricsVolume 30, Issue 3 p. 289-290 Citations from the literature perinatology Effects of maternal marijuana and cocaine use on fetal growth B Zuckermann, B ZuckermannSearch for more papers by this authorDA Frank, DA FrankSearch for more papers by this authorR Hingson, R HingsonSearch for more papers by this authorH Amaro, H AmaroSearch for more papers by this authorSM Levenson, SM LevensonSearch for more papers by this authorH Kayne, H KayneSearch for more papers by this authorS Parker, S ParkerSearch for more papers by this authorR Vinci, R VinciSearch for more papers by this authorK Aboagye, K AboagyeSearch for more papers by this authorLE Fried, LE FriedSearch for more papers by this authorH Cabral, H CabralSearch for more papers by this authorR Timperi, R TimperiSearch for more papers by this authorH Bauchner, H BauchnerSearch for more papers by this author B Zuckermann, B ZuckermannSearch for more papers by this authorDA Frank, DA FrankSearch for more papers by this authorR Hingson, R HingsonSearch for more papers by this authorH Amaro, H AmaroSearch for more papers by this authorSM Levenson, SM LevensonSearch for more papers by this authorH Kayne, H KayneSearch for more papers by this authorS Parker, S ParkerSearch for more papers by this authorR Vinci, R VinciSearch for more papers by this authorK Aboagye, K AboagyeSearch for more papers by this authorLE Fried, LE FriedSearch for more papers by this authorH Cabral, H CabralSearch for more papers by this authorR Timperi, R TimperiSearch for more papers by this authorH Bauchner, H BauchnerSearch for more papers by this author First published: November 1989 https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-7292(89)90433-5Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume30, Issue3November 1989Pages 289-290 RelatedInformation

Prenatal Cocaine Exposure is Associated with Respiratory Pattern Abnormalities

• As retrospectively determined, the rate of sudden infant death syndrome in 66 infants prenatally exposed to cocaine was 15%, compared with only 4% among infants exposed to opiates. This prospective evaluation of cardiorespiratory pattern in 32 cocaine-exposed and 18 methadone-exposed infants was therefore performed to further evaluate the effects of intrauterine exposure. The two groups were similar in maternal age, race, and cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use and in gestational age, sex, and birth weight. Apnea density and episodes of periodic breathing exceeded the 95th percentile for normal infants in 12 (38%) of 32 of cocaine-exposed infants vs only 1 (6%) of 18 opiate-exposed infants. Five cocaine-exposed but no opiate-exposed infants had apnea of infancy, and all 5 of these infants had an abnormal cardiorespiratory pattern. In all 13 infants with an abnormal cardiorespiratory pattern, theophylline treatment resulted in normalization of the respiratory pattern and was associated with absence of any (further) clinical events. In summary, infants prenatally exposed to cocaine have a higher incidence of cardiorespiratory pattern abnormalities than do infants with methadone or no prenatal drug exposure. ( AJDC . 1989;143:583-587)

Effects of Maternal Marijuana and Cocaine Use on Fetal Growth

Zuckerman, B.; Frank, D. A.; Hingson, R.; Amaro, H.; Levelson, S. M.; Kayne, H.; Parker, S.; Vinci, R.; Aboagye, K.; Fried, L. E.; Cabral, H.; Timperi, R.; Bauchner, H. Author Information

Effects of Marijuana Use during Pregnancy on Newborn Cry

The effects of maternal marijuana use on the newborn cry were studied in Jamaica, where it was possible to rule out confounding factors such as the use of other substances and demographic variables that have clouded previous studies and where higher dosages may make the effects more visible. The acoustic characteristics of the cries of 20 infants of marijuana users and 20 controls were analyzed. The cries of the infants of marijuana users were shorter, had a higher percentage of dysphonation, a higher and more variable fundamental frequency, and a lower first formant than controls. There was also a dose response relation between the first formant and marijuana use. We suggest that heavy marijuana use affects the neurophysiological integrity of the infant.

Effects of maternal marijuana and cocaine use on fetal growth.

To investigate the effects on infants of the use of marijuana and cocaine during pregnancy and to compare the importance of urine assays with that of interviews in ascertaining drug use, we prospectively studied 1226 mothers, recruited from a general prenatal clinic, and their infants. On the basis of either interviews or urine assays conducted prenatally or post partum, 27 percent of the subjects had used marijuana during pregnancy and 18 percent had used cocaine. When only positive urine assays were considered, the corresponding values were 16 percent and 9 percent, respectively. When potentially confounding variables were controlled for in the analysis, the infants whose mothers had positive urine assays for marijuana, as compared with the infants whose mothers were negative according to both interviews and urine assays, had a 79-g decrease in birth weight (P = 0.04) and a 0.5-cm decrement in length (P = 0.02). Women who had positive assays for cocaine, as compared with nonusers, had infants with a 93-g decrease in birth weight (P = 0.07), a 0.7-cm decrement in length (P = 0.01), and a 0.43-cm-smaller head circumference (P = 0.01). To compare our findings with those of other investigators who did not use urine assays, we repeated the analyses, considering only self-reported use of marijuana (23 percent) and cocaine (13 percent). There were no significant associations between such use as determined by interviews alone and any of the measures of outcome. We conclude that the use of marijuana or cocaine during pregnancy is associated with impaired fetal growth and that measuring a biologic marker of such use is important to demonstrate the association.

Ovine placental perfusion balance: Effect of marijuana smoke

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that maternal marijuana smoking impairs placental oxygen transfer in late ovine pregnancy by disrupting perfusion balance between the maternal and fetal placental circulations. Placental hemodynamics were assessed in nine chronically prepared ewes 1 hour after exposure to smoke from either a marijuana (n = 5) or a placebo (n = 4) cigarette. When compared with placebo smoke, maternal marijuana smoke exposure resulted in a fall in both uterine and umbilical placental vascular resistance and a 30% improvement in placental perfusion balance at a cotyledonary level. We conclude that maternal marijuana smoking in late ovine pregnancy has a direct relaxant effect on both maternal and fetal placental vascular smooth muscles that decreases the normal heterogeneity of flow and improves macroscopic placental perfusion balance. However, the observed concurrent 6 torr decrease in fetal oxygen tension suggests that perfusion balance is actually disrupted at a microcirculatory level.

Effects of Maternal Drinking and Marijuana Use on Fetal Growth and Development

A study of 1,690 mother/child pairs at Boston City Hospital was conducted to assess the impact of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal development when confounding variables were controlled. Level of maternal drinking prior to pregnancy was associated with shorter duration of gestation. Lower maternal weight change, history of maternal illnesses, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use, however, were more consistently related to adverse fetal growth and development. New findings in this study include a negative association between maternal marijuana use during pregnancy and fetal growth. Also when confounding variables were controlled, women who used marijuana during pregnancy were five times more likely to deliver infants with features considered compatible with the fetal alcohol syndrome.

Effects of Maternal Drinking and Marijuana Use on Fetal Growth and Development

A study of 1,690 mother/child pairs at Boston City Hospital was conducted to assess the impact of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal development when confounding variables were controlled. Level of maternal drinking prior to pregnancy was associated with shorter duration of gestation. Lower maternal weight change, history of maternal illnesses, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use, however, were more consistently related to adverse fetal growth and development. New findings in this study include a negative association between maternal marijuana use during pregnancy and fetal growth. Also when confounding variables were controlled, women who used marijuana during pregnancy were five times more likely to deliver infants with features considered compatible with the fetal alcohol syndrome.