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Women diagnosed with cannabis use disorder during pregnancy were more likely to end up in an emergency room for a psychiatric problem in the year after giving birth, according to a study of more than 2 million California deliveries.

The study was conducted by UC Merced public health professor Sidra Goldman-Mellor and graduate student LaMecia De Alba, along with researchers from Michigan State University and UCLA. The findings are published in the journal Annals of Epidemiology.

It showed that 10% of women with cannabis use disorder (CUD)—a medical diagnosis for people who keep using cannabis despite harm to their health, relationships or responsibilities—made a psychiatric emergency visit in their postpartum year, compared to 15.6% of women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and less than 3% of women without cannabis or alcohol use disorder.

"One in 10 of the women who were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder during pregnancy went on to have a psychiatric emergency department visit in the postpartum year," Goldman-Mellor said. "These aren't just women saying, 'I feel depressed.' These are psychiatric symptoms serious enough that they had to go to the emergency room."

During the six-year study period, CUD among pregnant women increased by 40%, whereas the incidence of AUD remained flat.

"It suggests there is a growing population of women who are using cannabis to a problematic extent when they're pregnant, and that group is at higher risk of serious psychiatric problems," Goldman-Mellor said.

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