Can You Use CBD Gummies During Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, women experience a mammoth of uncomfortable symptoms as the body creates a conducive environment to harbor the fetus. From feeling nauseated to leg swelling and painful cramps, many pregnant women seek a natural way to alleviate these unbearable symptoms. A wide range of medications exists but most come with adverse effects ranging from stillbirths, miscarriages, and teratogenicity. The search for a better solution is still ongoing, but CBD hemp gummies have shown great potential in catering to the needs of pregnant women.

What are CBD Gummies?

These are sweeties filled with CBD oil in them. CBD extracted from hemp plants using various methods is unpalatable to users due to its earthy taste. As a result, it’s infused with candies to improve its taste for users to enjoy it.

Studies have proved the existence of an endocannabinoid system in the body that responds to endogenously produced cannabinoids. However, the body only produces low quantities of cannabinoids according to demand that helps to maintain homeostasis.

Benefits of CBD Gummies During Pregnancy

Solicited to have a bevy of CBD benefits, CBD gummies are popping up in the market. But what do they do for pregnant women?

1.   Alleviate Morning Sickness

Marked by feeling nausea to vomiting, morning sickness is a common symptom in most pregnant women. It’s often the first sign of pregnancy and is caused by various factors, from a shift in hormones to reduced blood sugar levels. The severity and duration of the symptoms vary among women, lasting for about six to 10 weeks. Some experience hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition of chronic and severe vomiting that can last up to four months.

Morning sickness has severe health impacts, including malnourishment of both the mother and the child, dehydration due to loss of water, and electrolyte imbalance. Weight loss can occur in severe cases of morning sickness.

If left unattended, it can cause harm to both the mother and the baby resulting in stillbirths and premature termination of pregnancy. CBD has shown great potential in suppressing the center of the brain that causes nausea and vomiting, also known as the chemoreceptor trigger zone. As a result, severe morning sickness is contained; hence it doesn’t cause harm to the unborn and the mother.

2.   Pain and Cramp Relief

Ligament pains resulting from the stretch of the abdomen to accommodate the baby are a common symptom experienced by pregnant women. While a sedentary lifestyle is discouraged, especially during pregnancy, women also experience muscle cramping at the slightest activity they carry out.

CBD binds to receptors in the synapse of nerves transmitting pain, resulting in the inhibition of the release of neurotransmitters, hence blocking pain transmission. In simpler words, cannabinoids inhibit the progression and interpretation of pain by the brain. This aids pregnant women, especially those in chronic pain, to ease it.

3.   For Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

During pregnancy, there is a massive shift of hormones resulting in their imbalance. This can result in restlessness through anxiety over the safety of your unborn. Other common issues include body changes due to the gradual weight increase.

CBD in gummies can regulate the concentrations of serotonin in the body. They lead to an increase in serotonin production which in turn causes reduction of anxiety and elevates good moods. Cbd also contains L-theanine amino acids that induce relaxation in the body.

4.   Promotes Sleep

During the first trimester, pregnant women enjoy enough sleep, but as the pregnancy advances, it causes insomnia. As a result, they experience a considerable drop in the quality of sleep they get. The need to urinate frequently, heartburns, shortness of breath, irregular hormones are some of the reasons causing sleep loss.

CBD winds down cortisol levels spiked up during these uncomfortable situations, and as a result, pregnant women fall asleep faster and get high-quality sleep.

5.   Boosts Immunity

CBD has antioxidant properties that aid in combating free radicals, reactive oxygen species produced by the body by donating an extra electron to stabilize them. Antioxidants are also known to improve cardiovascular health by preventing the conversion of cholesterol to plaques that cause blockage of arteries.

6.   Alleviate Leg Swelling

As the pregnancy develops and gets to the third trimester, fluids and electrolytes production is elevated to sustain the pregnancy. As a result, this may cause puffiness in your face, arms, and swelling of the legs due to excess fluid in the body. CBD has anti-inflammatory properties that aid in draining excess fluids from the body.

Can You Get High on Using CBD During Pregnancy?

Cannabinoid, unlike its close counterpart THC, does not cause a mind-altering effect. This is because they contain less than 0.3 percent THC, which is not enough to cause the “high” feeling.

Conclusion

CBD gummies have shown great potential in many therapeutic uses since their legalization. However, you should consult your doctor before buying and using them. Extensive research is still required to ensure that the CBD in gummies doesn’t have a long-term effect on the child.