Is CBD Safe During Pregnancy? What the FDA and CDC Say

Is CBD safe during pregnancy? At this time, no CBD product has been proven safe for use during pregnancy. The FDA strongly advises against using CBD in any form while pregnant, and the CDC says the effects of CBD in pregnancy are unknown and recommends that pregnant women not use cannabis.

CBD is widely marketed as natural and non-intoxicating, and some people use it for pain, stress, sleep or nausea, symptoms that can be hard during pregnancy.

Lab research on human placentas shows that CBD can cross the placenta toward the developing fetus. While researchers are still studying the long-term implications, the lack of safety evidence is why healthcare providers advise caution. Here’s what researchers know, what they don’t, and what doctors are currently recommending.

What Is CBD?

CBD stands for cannabidiol, a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis plant. While present in both hemp and marijuana, most commercial CBD products come from hemp.

Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive. It will not produce a high or alter your mental state.

CBD is available in many forms: oils, capsules, gummies, topical creams, balms, and bath products. The market expanded rapidly after federal law cleared the path for hemp-derived CBD in 2018. Today, the FDA has approved exactly one CBD-based prescription medication, Epidiolex, for seizures in three rare conditions in patients age 1 and older. Everything else on store shelves has less regulatory oversight than a prescription drug, NIH notes, and quality, purity and potency can vary between products. That lack of oversight becomes a real concern the moment you are pregnant.

Is CBD Safe During Pregnancy According to Medical Experts?

The current medical consensus is clear: there is not enough evidence to consider CBD safe during pregnancy.

The FDA advises pregnant and breastfeeding individuals to avoid CBD products because of unanswered questions surrounding fetal exposure and developmental effects. CDC says the health effects of CBD in pregnancy are unknown and recommends that pregnant women not use cannabis; ACOG, cited by FDA, advises stopping cannabis use.

One reason for this caution is the lack of human clinical research. Ethical limitations make it difficult to conduct controlled studies involving pregnant women and CBD exposure. As a result, researchers rely heavily on animal studies, laboratory models, and placental tissue research to understand potential risks.

While these studies do not provide definitive answers, several of them suggest that CBD can interact with biological systems involved in fetal growth and development.

Potential Risks of CBD During Pregnancy

The absence of large-scale human trials does not mean there is nothing to go on. Recent research on cannabinoids and fetal development has surfaced several findings worth understanding.

CBD Reaches the Placenta

Research on 8 donated human placentas, perfused in a 2023 lab study, found CBD crossed to the fetal side at about one fifth of the maternal level, with much of it held in placental tissue. This doesn’t mean the placenta offers meaningful protection; it acts more like a slow filter than a true barrier, reducing and delaying transfer rather than blocking it. Researchers also caution that lower transfer rates should not be mistaken for evidence of fetal safety.

Fetal Growth Effects

A 2025 mouse study found that oral CBD or THC oil given in pregnancy impaired fetal growth and the remodeling of the uterine blood vessels that supply the placenta. These findings suggest potential disruption to the systems that deliver oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.

Neurodevelopmental Pathways

A 2024 lab study of human term placenta tissue looked at how CBD affects tryptophan metabolism in the placenta. Those processes feed pathways that play a critical role in fetal neurodevelopment. CBD exposure appeared to alter enzyme activity in ways that are not yet fully understood.

Unregulated Product Content

Some CBD products may contain cannabinoid amounts that differ from the label, or THC the label does not list, NIH notes. Some also include botanical extracts or essential oils, which may add unknowns of their own on top of cannabis use during pregnancy.

CBD Products Pregnant People Commonly Ask About

CBD comes in many forms, and some are marketed as safer than others during pregnancy. However, medical organizations do not distinguish between CBD oils, creams, bath products, or other delivery methods when making recommendations. Because no CBD product has been proven safe during pregnancy, healthcare providers generally advise avoiding them all until more research is available.

Is CBD Cream Safe During Pregnancy?

The FDA advises against CBD in any form during pregnancy, creams included. Many people assume a skin product is safer than one that is swallowed, but that assumption has limits.

FDA lists how much CBD is absorbed from a skin cream, and how topical use affects intake, as open questions. We found no study that measured topical CBD exposure in pregnancy. The ingredients that accompany CBD also matter. Many topical CBD products contain herbal extracts, fragrances, or essential oils that have not been tested for safety in pregnancy.

There is no research establishing that CBD cream is safe during pregnancy. The gap in evidence is not limited to CBD itself; it extends to everything else in the formula. Disclose any topical CBD use to your OB-GYN or midwife, even if it feels minor.

Does CBD on the Skin Reach the Body?

Whether CBD on the skin reaches the body in smaller amounts than CBD taken by mouth has not been measured in pregnant women, and FDA still lists topical intake as an open question.

However, lower exposure is not the same as no risk. Whether repeated topical use could let CBD build up around the fetus, including in amniotic fluid, is an open question, and we found no study that answers it.

Is CBD Bath Bomb Safe During Pregnancy?

FDA advice against CBD in any form during pregnancy covers bath bombs too. A CBD bath bomb dissolves into the water, and some CBD may be absorbed through the skin during the soak. The same topical absorption considerations apply here. Two additional factors are worth noting:

Water temperature carries independent risks during pregnancy. A 2005 review of 15 studies linked raised body temperature in early pregnancy with about twice the odds of neural tube defects. Ask your provider how warm a bath can safely be.
Other ingredients in CBD bath bombs, such as fragrance compounds, colorants, and botanical extracts, add another layer of uncertainty. Many of them may never have been studied in pregnant women, so their safety in pregnancy may be unknown.

How Is CBD Oil Different From Creams in Pregnancy?

Oral CBD oil works differently from a cream because it is swallowed rather than applied to the skin. Whether taken by dropper, capsule, or added to food, CBD enters the digestive system and circulates through the bloodstream. A 2023 lab study of donated placentas found that CBD crossed to the fetal side.

There is no evidence that CBD oil is safe during pregnancy. The FDA has stated there is significant cause for concern based on what is currently known.

Oral CBD also carries the highest exposure to product quality problems. NIH notes that CBD products sold over the counter may contain more or less CBD than the label says, and some may contain THC.

Is CBD Safe During Early Pregnancy?

The FDA advises against CBD throughout pregnancy, and the first trimester is when the baby’s brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs begin to form. MedlinePlus says this is when a baby is most at risk from things that may cause birth defects. It is also when the stakes of an unknown risk are highest.

The body’s endocannabinoid system has receptors in the reproductive tract and the placenta and is thought to help regulate reproduction, a 2022 review notes, and CBD may interact with this system. What that interaction means in a developing human embryo is not yet fully mapped. But disrupting a signaling network that serves foundational developmental functions is not a risk with obvious upside.

Animal research has found impaired fetal growth and changed behavior in offspring exposed to CBD during gestation, and FDA says high doses of CBD in pregnant test animals have caused problems with the reproductive system of developing male fetuses. Those findings do not translate directly to humans, but they inform why researchers flag early developmental exposure as a specific concern.

No trimester has been established as safe for CBD use. The first trimester, when organ formation is most active, is arguably the most sensitive window of all.

CBD Product Safety Overview

CBD Product	Proven Safe During Pregnancy?	Current Medical Recommendation
CBD Oil	No	Avoid use during pregnancy
CBD Gummies	No	Avoid use during pregnancy
CBD Cream	No evidence of safety	Avoid use during pregnancy; tell your provider about any use
Topical CBD Products	No evidence of safety	Avoid use during pregnancy, as FDA advises for CBD in any form
CBD Bath Bombs	No evidence of safety	Avoid during pregnancy
Prescription CBD Medications	Case-specific medical supervision required	Follow physician guidance

What Healthcare Providers Currently Recommend

The medical advice for CBD use in pregnancy from FDA and CDC points the same way: do not use it. This is not reflexive overcaution. It reflects a genuine absence of safety data combined with early findings that give researchers real reason for concern.

If you are using CBD for a specific symptom, your provider can help you look for options that have been studied in pregnancy:

Nausea: Vitamin B6 and ginger are options MedlinePlus lists for morning sickness.
Pain: Ask your provider which pain relief options have been studied in pregnancy.
Sleep and anxiety: Ask about counseling and other options studied in pregnancy, without the unknowns that come with an unregulated supplement.

For many symptoms you may be trying to manage, options studied in pregnancy may be available. Speak with your OB-GYN about treatment options that have been studied in pregnancy. If you have questions about CBD specifically, start with your OB-GYN or midwife; our cannabis doctors can also go over the research with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the FDA and CDC advise about CBD while pregnant?

Both point to avoiding it, and we found no health authority that says otherwise. The FDA advises against CBD in any form during pregnancy, CDC recommends that pregnant women not use cannabis, and ACOG, cited by FDA, advises stopping cannabis use in pregnancy. Their reason is not definitive proof of harm. It is the absence of safety data and enough early research signals that these groups recommend avoiding it. Talk to your OB-GYN about other options for whatever you are trying to manage.

Does CBD pass through the placenta?

Yes. Research using human placental tissue has confirmed that CBD does transfer to the fetal compartment. The placenta cannabinoid transfer process is more of a partial filter than a full barrier. It slows transfer and reduces concentrations but does not prevent fetal exposure. The researchers wrote that this pattern might give flatter but longer-lasting fetal CBD levels in the body.

Is CBD safe if you’re trying to get pregnant?

There is no established safe window just before conception. The endocannabinoid system is thought to help regulate reproduction, and cannabis use has been linked to abnormal embryo implantation, a 2022 review notes. If you are actively trying to conceive, talk with your OB-GYN about stopping CBD; you can also contact a cannabis doctor with questions about the research.

Does CBD affect birth?

Researchers are still working to understand how CBD exposure during pregnancy may affect birth outcomes. Unlike THC, which has been studied more extensively, CBD-specific human research remains limited.

What researchers do know is that CBD crosses the placenta and can reach fetal tissues. Animal studies and placental research have raised questions about how CBD may influence fetal growth, nutrient transport, and neurodevelopment. However, there is not yet enough human evidence to determine the full impact on pregnancy outcomes.

Because of these unanswered questions and the lack of proven safety data, medical organizations currently recommend avoiding CBD throughout pregnancy. Under Florida’s medical marijuana law, a physician must check whether a patient is pregnant and may not certify marijuana other than low-THC cannabis for a pregnant patient. That rule is a legal limit, not a finding that low-THC cannabis is safe during pregnancy.

Last updated October 16, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.

Medical review

Medically reviewed by Achilles Kalnoky, M.D.

Reviewed on October 15, 2026.

He is licensed in Florida as a medical doctor, license ME115088, which you can check on the Florida Department of Health license lookup.

His review covers the medical statements in this post and the sources cited for them.

Is CBD Safe During Pregnancy?

What Is CBD?

Is CBD Safe During Pregnancy According to Medical Experts?