We wanted to look at a theme and a question we often have to answer: Can CBD be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding?

The information available is very contradictory, as expecting a baby and breastfeeding is a very sensitive theme and research in this regard is unethical from a medical point of view and is perfectly understandable.

There are three valid reasons for this lack of research:

1. It is difficult or even impossible to validate studies related to pregnant women.
For any research, especially on humans, the parameters of the study must be approved by the Professional Ethics Board. This is particularly strict for pregnancy, and all study requests will often be rejected if other studies have not yet provided sufficient evidence that it is safe.

2. Pregnancy makes it difficult to take into account all variables in the study.
Pregnancy is a complex process and affects women differently. No pregnancy is the same and side effects can be different.

This makes it very difficult to investigate the effects of CBD because what might work for one person is not good for another – not because CBD does not work, but because the causes of this particular symptom may be different. This makes the interpretation of the data something very challenging and almost impossible.

3. The best research is done over a long period of time.
Research to determine a product’s safety has to be done over a long period of time, often up to several years.

Such studies are exhausting and very expensive. A single clinical trial can cost several million euros and may take ten or more years to complete.

There are institutions that will pay for such research, but so far no one has begun to choose it on this particular issue.

There are simply other areas of interest that are more relevant to research today (for example, some of the exciting clinical trials currently underway to investigate the use of CBD for anxiety or other common medical conditions).

Briefly about CBD. CBD is one of over 400 different compounds found in the Cannabis plant. The chemical structure of CBD is unique, the cannabinoids in the Cannabis plant interact with the endocannabinoid system in the human body. This system has many roles, but the most important is its role in regulating the body’s homeostasis (balance).

This ability to interact brings many health benefits. Instead of working with just one organ, CBD is able to interact with organs throughout the body.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is widely used for its many and varied therapeutic benefits, which include muscle relaxation (such as cramps or muscle injuries), enhances immune function, reduces inflammation, blocks the excessive transmission of pain from the brain and regulates the nausea center to combat morning sickness and vomiting, as well as mood balancing.

Also, there are a variety of uses: CBD oil, capsules, creams and oils to massage the aching legs with CBD cream, or to relax in a bathtub with CBD bath bomb. CBD oils are easy to use, the dose can be adjusted to your needs and it has a long shelf life.

A frequently asked question:

Can CBD make me feel dizzy or make me “high”?

Definitely not.

The Cannabis plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system. Although both THC and CBD have therapeutic properties, they differ in one important way: THC produces the intoxicating effect of ‘high’ and CBD does not.

Because CBD will not make you feel dizzy, it is widely used and used to treat a variety of health complaints including inflammation, anxiety and insomnia.

CBD and PREGNANCY.
During pregnancy, anything that is subordinate to the mother can eventually come into contact with the fetus growing inside her. Everything has the potential to affect her baby: from the air she breathes to the food she eats. For this reason, the nutritional supplements she receives can be valuable. For this reason, too, harmful products or habits such as nicotine and alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy. And where is CBD in all of this?

Although most Cannabis products are legalized, for ethical and legal reasons, not enough research has been done into their effects on pregnant women. Therefore, it is almost impossible to fully understand the effect of CBD on the fetus or mother during pregnancy.

Here is just what is currently known about CBD and pregnancy. With this information, you can make an informed decision about what is right for you and your family.

Is CBD safe to use during pregnancy?
This question is relatively difficult to answer as there is no definitive answer at this time. Many experts say that it is worth being cautious and skipping CBD during pregnancy until scientists better understand how it affects your body and the baby.

We all know that the fetus also has an endocannabinoid system, even when it is just starting to form.

A number of studies have been conducted on the effects of cannabinoids on animal embryos, but these studies are primarily focused on THC, which has different properties to CBD.

When it comes to studies on pregnant women, again, most research focuses on hemp use, not CBD, but it is worth considering this when weighing all the possible risks of CBD use during pregnancy.

Long-term studies on the safety and efficiency of CBD during pregnancy are currently not available in the scientific literature. However, there is also nothing to prove that this compound is dangerous. This theme has been ignored for a relatively long time, despite the widespread interest in Cannabis research over the past decades.

Without research to prove that CBD is indeed safe and effective at different stages of pregnancy, most experts will become cautious and avoid it.

Why could the use of CBD be considered in pregnancy?
Considering that there is no conclusive evidence yet to support the safe use of CBD in pregnancy, why are women still using it?

With such a wide range of potentially positive effects and the ability to reduce some of the negative side effects of pregnancy, many women believe that the proven benefits outweigh the potential risks.

Common reasons pregnant women might want to use CBD include: nausea/vomiting, seizures, insomnia, anxiety, high stress, hormone-induced acne, inflammation, migraine and headache, mood disorders, and more.

Some of the most common pregnancy symptoms that CBD can help with are:

• CBD can relieve morning sickness or hyperemesis.

The cause of nausea in the morning (or nausea throughout the day if you are not particularly fortunate) is still not really discovered in the medical community. However, one theory is that elevated levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG stimulate estrogen production, which in turn causes nausea. Studies have shown that CBD can bind to estrogen receptors. This could reduce morning sickness.

CBD has been shown to reduce nausea through interaction with serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that causes nausea in large quantities. CBD is thought to indirectly activate certain receptors that can stop serotonin production. In fact, CBD may work like some of the most well-known anti-emetic drugs, but most have their own set of negative side effects. These drugs usually stop the feeling of nausea by acting directly on the nerve center of the brain. The problem is that they also cause side effects such as insomnia, dizziness, blurred vision and anxiety. It just transfers the problem from nausea to something else. CBD is becoming one of the most popular alternatives to medicines like these. It offers many of the same benefits in reducing the symptoms of nausea, but without the negative side effects.

CBD actually addresses many of the side effects associated with nausea, including edema and insomnia.

This is just one example, but there are several different reasons why pregnant women seek CBD help to reduce other symptoms throughout pregnancy.

• CBD can improve the sleep cycle.

One of the most common complaints about pregnancy is sleep disorders. Whether your body is getting ready for sleepless nights in the future, or just trying to find a comfortable position to sleep for pregnant women may not be so easy. CBD can change this. As an anti-catabolic agent, CBD reduces cortisol, a stress hormone that can inhibit the ability to fall asleep and sleep. For this reason, CBD can improve the quality of your sleep and allow you to rest a little before your baby arrives.

• CBD can reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Waiting for a baby can be beautiful and scary at the same time. Stress and mood swings can be common during pregnancy.

It is known that stress reduction is important during pregnancy. Not only can stress cause physical changes in the brain of the baby, but it can also cause chemical changes that can affect it. As mentioned above, CBD can reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol by promoting physical and mental relaxation.

CBD also plays a similar role as antidepressants when it comes to regulating serotonin levels. Due to these properties, CBD is becoming more and more popular with people who want to reduce anxiety without using traditional synthetic medicines.

• CBD can relieve joint pain.

During pregnancy, women often gain weight, some more and less. This creates an extra load on the joints. In this case, CBD oil, or locally applied oils and body creams will help.

Is CBD right for you?
If you suffer from pregnancy side effects and are looking for a more natural solution, it may be worth considering CBD. But before you start using it, consult your doctor or naturopath who specializes in CBD-based treatment plans.

Pregnant women’s decisions are personal and must be made based on what is best for her and her child. The risks must be weighed against the benefits.

If your doctor wants to reduce your morning sickness so that you can have a good rest, your doctor may also suggest other options and alternative therapies that are either less risky or based on more specific research.

CBD and BREASTFEEDING.
When you are breastfeeding, you know you should carefully monitor what you are eating. But, can you take CBD while breastfeeding?

With potential benefits, including better sleep, reduced stress and improved appetite, there are certainly ways CBD can improve the health of a new mother … but is it safe for the baby?

Studies of how the CBD interacts with the human body are ongoing and, due to ethical constraints, it is difficult to directly investigate the effects of CBD on breastfeeding mothers and their babies. However, this does not mean that information on this subject is not available.

It goes without saying that the use of any natural substance, such as CBD, can be a cause of concern for breastfeeding mothers. One of the most common questions that new mothers may have about CBD use is here below:

Can CBD pass through my milk and impact the baby?

Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. Although THC has shown to be excreted in breast milk and may harm the infant (the baby may be underweight), the effect of CBD on newborns is not known yet.

It is worth keeping in mind that there are some cannabinoids that are naturally present in breast milk and are produced by the body’s own endocannabinoid system.

As there is still no conclusive evidence to support an answer to this question, you should always consult your doctor before using CBD, especially if you are a new mother.

Why would the use of CBD be considered during breast-feeding?
The uncertainty about CBD and its effects on infants may be enough for some mothers to completely give up on it. Others, however, still have many reasons to consider CBD during breastfeeding.

• CBD can help with postpartum depression.

Many breastfeeding women suffer from postpartum depression – a relatively serious condition that can cause anxiety, fatigue, mood swings and make it difficult to take care of your baby properly. It is usually treated with antidepressants that are unsuitable for breast-feeding. The use of antidepressants can eventually lead to the discontinuation of breastfeeding, which can make a woman more depressed by suggesting that she is a worthless mother.

CBD has been found to relieve depression in several ways, one of which is due to its action on the anandamide, a neurotransmitter commonly known as the ‘happiness molecule’. Anandamide plays a key role in the experience of joy, happiness and motivation. CBD acts as an anandamide reuptake inhibitor, which means that it increases the amount of anandamide available in the brain. Mothers with postnatal depression have increased levels of anandamide in the brain, which could reduce its restrictive and severe effects.

• CBD can balance your mood.

CBD has a positive effect on mood and anxiety and has a number of other benefits that can make a breastfeeding mother’s life easier.

• CBD can promote appetite.

Insufficient calorie intake can cause young mothers to feel tired and suffer from unhealthy weight loss. Studies show that CBD can reduce nausea and increase appetite, providing useful help to breast-feeding mothers to increase calorie intake.

• CBD can improve the sleep cycle.

Finally, if you wake up several times a night to feed your newborn baby, good and deep sleep can be difficult to achieve. CBD has been proven to improve sleep quality and help fight insomnia by reducing the production of the stress hormone cortisol.

Is CBD right for you?
You should decide whether to use CBD while breastfeeding or not. You might also want to consider talking to a naturopath who specializes in CBD.

For your information, for example, the US LactMed Database on Cannabidiol (CBD) Breastfeeding Report states: “If a mother wants to use cannabidiol, that is no reason to stop breast-feeding. However, in the absence of information on the use of cannabidiol during breast-feeding, it may be advisable to give preference to alternative medicines, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. “
Once you have obtained and considered everything, you will be able to decide if CBD is right for you.

Some suggestions for safer use of CBD during pregnancy and breastfeeding:
There are some important steps you can take to minimize the risk of using CBD as well as any other supplements during pregnancy.

1. Start slowly and at the lowest dose.
When using any dietary supplement during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, the key is to start with a small amount and gradually, which means that you should always start with the lowest possible dose and gradually increase it, if necessary, until you reach the recommended dose or feel the effect.

2. Before using CBD consult your doctor if it is possible.
It is also important to talk to your doctor about any health supplements you plan to take.

Pregnancy is a complex process and there are a number of separate factors that need to be taken into account, depending on the other medical conditions you have and the medications you are already taking.

Your doctor can advise you if CBD is right for you.

3. Take notes on doses and progress.
One of the best steps you can take when introducing something new into your daily routine is to write down what you are taking, about the dosage and how you respond to it during use. This will help you and the medical staff understand how the CBD or other supplement works (or does not work).

Pay attention to things like:

⦁ What dose of CBD did you take?
⦁ How did it or did it not affect the symptoms?
⦁ Did symptoms improve after CBD admission?
⦁ Did you have any side effects?
⦁ Which CBD product did you use?

4. Use only high-quality products.
It is worth inquiring whether the brand you choose is trustworthy and produces a high-quality product, as products you don’t know can sometimes contain harmful compounds that you would not want to pick up.

Heavy metals, pesticides and organic solvents are a major problem with CBD oils. All of these things can be detrimental to you and your baby’s health.

The best companies test their samples in laboratories, which are carried out by third-party testing.

This is the optional step that CBD manufacturers can take to prove the quality of their products. The company usually sends a sample of its production batch to an independent laboratory (not connected to the company). This laboratory tests the sample and finely analyzes the content of heavy metals, pesticides, solvents and organic pollutants.

5. It is preferable to use CBD products that are made exclusively from isolate or broad-spectrum products (Broad spectrum). See the difference.
There are three main types of CBD products available – full, broad-spectrum extracts and CBD isolate.

Full-spectrum extracts contain all the phytochemicals that are naturally found in the cannabis plant including THC. The broad-spectrum extract contains everything except THC and the CBD isolate removes all compounds and leaves pure CBD.

Although all options have their positive and negative aspects, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are advised to choose a broad spectrum CBD or, better yet, an isolate. This way you can be sure that the only connection you are using is the one you intended – CBD.

Summary: Use of CBD during pregnancy and lactation.
There are many reasons why a pregnant or new mother might want to try CBD. This compound is useful for common side effects experienced by pregnant women and moms of newborn babies, such as muscle cramps, abdominal pain, headache, insomnia, anxiety and nausea.

CBD safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding is handled with great caution – and for good reason, we do not have credible studies to prove or disprove the safety of this compound, and there are virtually no studies from which it can be concluded that the compound is unsafe.

There is no indication that the fetus, the pregnant woman or the newborn baby was endangered by CBD as such. It would be worthwhile if we had some convincing study to prove it definitively, but the best chance is that, over time, what we already know, is that CBD poses only a small threat or none.

Ideally, you will not need to take anything except healthy food during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, sometimes you may need to get rid of unpleasant pregnancy or postpartum symptoms or conditions that occur when your baby is born (stress, depression, insomnia, etc.).

CBD is an alternative option before using some of the synthetic pharmaceutical options recommended by the doctor or pharmacist.

Women around the world use CBD to prevent the appearance of unpleasant symptoms during pregnancy and breastfeeding and to avoid the use of pharmaceutical drugs as much as possible. This has been going on for years and not even one case study has been heard to suggest that CBD has any significant adverse effect on the mother or child.

No matter how ludicrous we may sound, we are in a situation where CBD has not been proven to be safe and not proven to be unsafe.

Therefore, the best course of action when using CBD is to remain cautious. This applies to all supplements you will have to choose to use during pregnancy.
Pay attention to how your body responds and trust your doctor with everything you use or plan to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Given all of the above, there really is no reason why CBD could pose any danger to you or your baby. There have been dozens of studies on the supplement with groups of people including small children – all of which have concluded that CBD is both a safe and effective supplement for a wide range of symptoms – even at high doses.

The information on the internet about CBD products and their use will be ambiguous, so we always recommend reading safe and reliable sources. We also use websites related to the Cannabis industry, research and education to prepare information.

The content of this site is for informational purposes only. We are not medical experts and this should not be interpreted as medical advice. Be sure to consult your doctor before undergoing CBD or other treatment.

The chemistry of every human body and brain is unique, so the use of CBD to improve mental as well as physical health does not guarantee results. However, many GWEEPRODUCTS CBD oil users have included it into their daily routine as one of the therapies for improving mental, physical health and quality of life.

References: Jaques, S. C., Kingsbury, A., Henschke, P., Chomchai, C., Clews, S., Falconer, J., … & Oei, J. L. (2014). Cannabis, the pregnant woman and her child: weeding out the myths. Journal of Perinatology.
Choukèr, A., Kaufmann, I., Kreth, S., Hauer, D., Feuerecker, M., Thieme, D., … & Schelling, G. (2010). Motion sickness, stress and the endocannabinoid system. PloS one.
hmhb.org – Healthy moms Healthy babies.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – National Center for Biotechnology Information.

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