Is It Safe To Use CBD When You're Pregnant?

CBD products can be found in almost any store (including grocery stores) you go to these days. As their popularity has increased, many now believe CBD is full of health benefits, including pain relief as well as anti-anxiety and anti-nausea properties. Since pregnancy often comes with a whole host of unwanted and unpleasant side effects, CBD products may seem like a great option for pregnant women looking for some all-natural relief (via Parents). 

However, there's some debate over whether or not CBD products are safe to use for moms and their babies. There's a lot that we still don't know about CBD products and the long-term effect they have not only on people in general but especially on pregnant people and children. If you're curious about whether or not it's a good idea to use CBD products to help relieve some of the unwanted symptoms related to pregnancy, keep on reading.

You might associate the word CBD, which is short for cannabidiol, with marijuana. It's true that CBD comes from marijuana and hemp plants, but they are not one in the same. Recreational marijuana is made up of both CBD and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the chemical in marijuana that gives you a "high" when you ingest it; CBD on its own does not (via American Pregnancy). The process that extracts CBD oil from hemp and marijuana plants allows it to be infused with a plethora of different products, like candies, lotions, bath bombs, and drinks.

For many people with chronic pain or anxiety, CBD's rise in popularity has created a readily available option that gets rid of the need for heavy prescriptions or over-the-counter medications (via Consumer Reports). It's marketed as something more natural, and therefore better for you than narcotics, but since the sale of recreational marijuana and CBD have become popular so quickly, there's still a lot we don't know about these products.

Since CBD products can help relieve symptoms like nausea, it's no wonder that pregnant moms are interested in using CBD to help curb their morning sickness (via Parents). It can be hard to get anything done or keep your baby fed when you can't keep any food down, so if there's a product on the market that has the capability to help with this, you better believe moms are all over it.

However, due to the lack of long-term research on CBD products and the uncertainty of the effects, the FDA "strongly advises against" using and CBD or THC products and has not approved any kind of CBD products for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Even though there is debate over the benefits and effectiveness of CBD products while pregnant, it's a good idea to avoid using any products that could potentially affect the health of your baby. Additionally, some animals studies have shown that CBD adversely affects the reproductive function of male fetuses in animals (via WebMD). This doesn't always directly translate to the effects that it would have on people, but it's enough for researchers to be wary.