San Francisco, CA: Alcohol use, but not cannabis use, is linked to significantly higher rates of unwanted pregnancies, according to data published in the journal Addiction.
Researchers affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco tracked outcomes in a cohort of 936 women who expressed a strong desire not to become pregnant.
Those who acknowledged drinking heavily were 50 percent more likely to become pregnant over the course of the study (13.5 months) as compared to those who drank little or no alcohol. By contrast, those participants who used cannabis did not possess an elevated pregnancy risk compared to non-consumers.
“Heavy drinking, but not cannabis use or other drug use, appears to be associated with elevated pregnancy risk among those who most desire to avoid pregnancy,” the study’s authors concluded. “This study is continuing to follow participants through pregnancy, which will enable further examination of whether people with less desired pregnancies are more likely than those with more desired pregnancies to continue alcohol and/or drug use during pregnancy.”
Full text of the study, “Alcohol and drug use and attainment of pregnancy preferences in the southwestern United States: A longitudinal cohort study,” appears in Addiction.