CBD Education

Womens Health

Can You Use CBD While Pregnant?

Pregnancy can be one of the most joyous times in life. The anticipation of meeting a little one and the exciting changes that it brings is a special time, but it can also be an uncomfortable one. There are many forms of discomfort that can arise during pregnancy, not to mention the challenge of getting enough sleep, remaining mobile, and maintaining a positive outlook.

Maybe you’ve looked into different avenues for dealing with the discomfort of pregnancy, but aren’t sure what options are best. Because natural supplements are currently very popular, you may have heard of CBD and wondered whether or not it is effective and safe to use during pregnancy.

At MuscleMX, we strive to provide the best, most up-to-date information about the world of CBD so that you can get the most out of it. However, we want you to use it safely — read on to find out more about the current recommendations for using CBD while pregnant.

What Is CBD?

Because of the significant amount of misunderstanding surrounding exactly what CBD is, it’s first helpful to define it.

CBD is a cannabinoid, which is a compound in the cannabis plant, and, more specifically, the hemp plant.

What makes CBD different is that it doesn’t have psychoactive properties like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that causes intoxication. This might clear up confusion as to why you can use a CBD-based product without getting high, but sometimes just the association is enough to turn many off to the world of CBD.

The Endocannabinoid System

Cannabinoids work by interacting with our body’s endocannabinoid system, a network of sensors that help affect our bodily functions (like sleep and temperature) as well as our mood. When a cannabinoid enters your system, it stimulates the endocannabinoid in a way that relieves feelings of discomfort, promotes relaxation, and helps soothe feelings of tension.

There is a range of cannabinoids, but the two most well known are THC and CBD. Because it’s thought that some of the other cannabinoids are also beneficial, cannabis products are categorized based on whether they contain all the cannabinoids, every cannabinoid except THC, or only CBD.

Here’s a little more on the three main categories of CBD:

Full-spectrum: If a CBD product is full spectrum, this means that it contains all of the cannabinoids in the spectrum, including trace amounts of THC.
Broad-spectrum: CBD products that are broad spectrum contain all of the cannabinoids in the spectrum except THC, so they are non-intoxicating.
CBD isolate: If a CBD product is categorized as CBD isolate, this means that all the cannabinoids in the spectrum have been removed except for CBD. CBD isolate does not contain THC, but it also does not contain any of the other beneficial cannabinoids, either.

Muscle MX uses broad-spectrum CBD to provide the full benefits without the psychoactive effects of THC. The benefit of including all the other non-intoxicating cannabinoids is known as the entourage effect — it’s thought that other compounds in the cannabinoid spectrum can not only help CBD work better but can even provide additional benefits to help you relax, calm down, and ease tension throughout your body.

How Can You Take CBD?

While many associate smoking with cannabis, because CBD is not taken for its psychoactive effects, you can take CBD orally or apply it as a topical.

Here are some of the ways you can administer CBD:

CBD tinctures: A tincture can be taken directly by dropping a few drops under the tongue, or it can be added to beverages like tea or coffee. This is an easy, convenient way of getting the benefits of CBD applied to the whole body.
CBD capsules and gummies: Edibles and ingestibles, like CBD gummies and capsules, are another easy way of getting CBD oil distributed to the entire body.
Topicals: Creams, balms, lotions, and ointments that contain CBD oil are meant to be applied to areas of the body that are experiencing discomfort or tension. While they don’t provide the same whole-body effects as a tincture or edible, they target specific regions that are prone to discomfort, like the knees, feet, hands, or lower back.

What Are Common Symptoms of Pregnancy?

Why would someone be interested in using CBD if they’re pregnant? Well, put simply, there are quite a few uncomfortable symptoms that occur during pregnancy that might make you wonder if CBD is a good option for easing discomfort and promoting relaxation.

Some common pregnancy symptoms include:

Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Chronic pain
Restless legs
Morning sickness
Trouble sleeping
Extreme sleepiness

If you’ve ever been pregnant before, you may already know that the 1st trimester is often the most uncomfortable, as it’s the most intense time of fetal development. Once the 2nd trimester hits, symptoms often improve exponentially. Since CBD is known to help relieve these types of symptoms in non-pregnant women, the question is: how safe is it to use during pregnancy?

Is CBD Use Safe During Pregnancy?

The FDA(Food and Drug Administration) strongly advises anyone pregnant or breastfeeding not to useCBD, THC, or marijuana in any form because there is not yet enough research and data to support its use.

The truth is that, in some cases, CBD is not 100% pure. There may be contaminants such as THC, bacteria, heavy metals, or pesticides (especially with low-quality CBD).

It’s important to remember that before starting to use any new medication, supplement or medical intervention, you should talk with your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe to use. If it can’t be 100% guaranteed, it probably won't be recommended.

It is worth noting that there is one FDA-approved, cannabis-derived drug called Epiliolex. This drug is given orally, and is used to treat epilepsy. Other than that, there are no CBD-based medications currently approved by the FDA.

Are CBD Topicals Safe During Pregnancy?

Even though CBD taken orally might be recommended against, you might be wondering, could I still use a CBD topical product?

You may think that using a cream, lotion, balm, or ointment only affects the skin or the immediate area where it’s applied, but even when applying topicals, CBD is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Because of this and due to a general lack of research, even CBD topicals are recommended against by the FDA during pregnancy.

What Research Is There About CBD and Pregnancy?

What might be a bit confusing is that if you do a few internet searches, you’ll probably come up with a few articles claiming that CBD is safe and effective during pregnancy.

Unfortunately, while many studies have been done on the effects of marijuana use during pregnancy, very few have looked at the effects of CBD specifically.

The Research That Does Exist

One of the main reasons there isn’t a lot of CBD research is because as an available healthcare product in the US, it’s fairly new. Even the testing that has been done has tended to look at how it affects animals, not humans.

A study from the 1980s showed that CBD in the womb had a long-lasting effect on male animal fetus brain development, eventually affecting it as an adult (fertility was affected as well).

This points to the important fact that there’s still a lot of data gathering that needs to be done.

Another question you may have is why after a baby has already been born, CBD is still recommended against, even for breastfeeding mothers.

The reason for this is that someone who’s taking CBD can pass it to the baby through breast milk.

What Should You Keep in Mind About CBD During Pregnancy?

Ultimately, the decision whether or not to use CBD oil during pregnancy is one that you make! As you think about the factors that would contribute to making that decision, it’s important to remember these things:

CBD and THC aren’t the same, but there is always a slight possibility that there may be a small amount of THC in CBD products. This is because the legal limit of THC is 0.03%, not 0%. This is why it is so important to choose a high-quality, third-party tested CBD product.
The FDA strongly recommends against using any cannabis-related products, including CBD, while pregnant. This is because of a laccannabis-relatedearch and unknown side effects on the developing fetus.
Even though they are recommended against, CBD products that have less than 0.03% THC are legal at the federal level and can be purchased and used.

As with any treatment decision, always consult your OB-GYN or other healthcare professional first! Tell them your symptoms and ask for the best suggestions for dealing with discomfort that so often comes with pregnancy, regardless of what trimester you’re in. They are the best person to seek medical advice from and to talk over the potential risks of any treatment.

Third-Party Tested MuscleMX CBD

At Muscle MX, we provide third-party tested, broad-spectrum CBD products, utilizing each cannabinoid in the cannabis spectrum except THC so that the benefits of CBD are felt without any psychoactive properties.

If you want to try our line of CBD tinctures, oils, balms, lotions, and edibles after your pregnancy, we’re here to answer all your questions about CBD and what it can do for you.

Sources:

Body changes and discomforts | Office on Women's Health

What You Should Know About Using Cannabis, Including CBD, When Pregnant or Breastfeeding | FDA

Pregnancy | Health Effects | Marijuana | CDC

What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD | FDA

Cannabis use in pregnancy and early life and its consequences: animal models | SpringerLink

Maternal cannabinoid exposure Effects on spermatogenesis in male offspring - Dalterio - 1986 | International Journal of Andrology - Wiley Online Library

Cannabinoids - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf

CBD Drugs and Lactation Database | NCBI.