CBD is not recommended in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) says medicinal cannabis is not appropriate for women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding.1 The reason is a lack of human safety data combined with warning signs from animal studies, not proof of harm in people.
What do Australian authorities say?
- TGA patient guidance. Medicinal cannabis “is not appropriate for” women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding. This guidance covers CBD and THC products together.1
- Pharmacist-only CBD rules. When the TGA created the Schedule 3 (pharmacist-only) category for low-dose CBD, the conditions included label warnings such as “Do not use if pregnant or likely to become pregnant”. The current Poisons Standard also requires “Do not use if breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed”.23 For whether any such product is actually on sale, see Can you buy CBD over the counter in Australia?.
- Epidyolex product information. The registered CBD medicine is in pregnancy Category B2. It “should not be used during pregnancy unless the potential benefit to the mother clearly outweighs the potential risk to the foetus”.4
- RACGP. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners lists pregnancy and breastfeeding among the situations where THC is not appropriate.5
What does the research show about CBD in pregnancy?
In people
Very little. The United States prescribing information for CBD states there are “no adequate data on the developmental risks” in pregnant women.6 The Australian product information says there are “only limited data”.4 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there is no comprehensive research on the effects of CBD on the developing fetus, the pregnant mother or the breastfed baby.7
A pregnancy surveillance program collects outcomes from women who take prescription CBD for epilepsy during pregnancy.6
In animals
Animal studies used doses well above typical human doses, and animal results do not always carry over to people. They are still the main reason for caution.
- In pregnant rats, the highest dose tested (250 mg per kg a day) caused deaths of embryos and fetuses.6
- In pregnant rabbits, the highest dose (125 mg per kg a day) reduced fetal body weight.4
- When rats were dosed through pregnancy and nursing, offspring showed slower growth, delayed sexual maturation, behavioural changes and effects on male reproductive organs at 150 mg per kg a day and above.4
- In the rabbit study, harm appeared at blood levels similar to those in people on prescription doses. In rats, it appeared at higher levels.6
The FDA summarises the animal evidence for consumers this way: “High doses of CBD in pregnant test animals have caused problems with the reproductive system of developing male fetuses.”7
What about breastfeeding?
No study has measured CBD or its breakdown products in human breast milk, or looked at effects on breastfed babies or on milk supply.6
Regulators have reasoned from what is known about CBD:
- The Australian product information says CBD “will likely pass freely from plasma into milk” and that, as a precaution, breastfeeding should be discontinued during treatment.4
- The FDA says it expects that “some amount of CBD will be transferred to babies through breast milk”.7
CBD is also fat-soluble and slow to clear. After repeated dosing its half-life (the time for blood levels to halve) is 56 to 61 hours.6 That means it does not leave the body within a few hours of a dose.
Is the risk only from CBD itself?
No. Two other things matter.
THC. Products sold as CBD can contain THC, the intoxicating compound in cannabis. In one United States study of 84 CBD products bought online, only 31% were accurately labelled, and some contained THC that was not declared.8 The FDA advises against THC and cannabis in any form during pregnancy and breastfeeding.7
Contaminants. The FDA has warned that CBD products may be contaminated with substances that pose a risk to the fetus or baby, and has received reports of products containing pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria and fungus.7
Prescription products in Australia are held to a quality standard and have tested close to their labels in TGA laboratory checks.9 Products bought online or overseas have not. That is a point about labelling. It does not make any CBD product appropriate in pregnancy or breastfeeding. See Is what is on the label in the bottle?.
Trying to conceive
The TGA guidance extends to women “planning to become pregnant”.1 The United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency likewise advises prospective parents trying for a baby to avoid CBD in foods and supplements unless a medical professional advises otherwise.10
Data on fertility are limited to animals. In rats, doses up to 250 mg per kg a day did not affect male or female fertility, and there are no human fertility data.4
If you take prescribed CBD for epilepsy
This is the one situation where the balance can be different. Anti-seizure medicines, CBD included, should generally be withdrawn gradually, because sudden changes can increase seizures.6
The product information leaves room for use where the benefit to the mother clearly outweighs the risk.4 That judgement belongs to your neurologist and obstetric team. Raise pregnancy plans with them early, ideally before conceiving, and talk to them before changing any medicine.
What to do now
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and thinking about CBD: talk to your GP, obstetrician, midwife or pharmacist about the symptom you want help with. They can tell you which options have been studied in pregnancy.
- If you have already taken CBD: tell your doctor or midwife what you took and when. They cannot give you an exact risk, because the human studies do not exist, but they can advise and monitor.
- If a baby or child has swallowed a CBD or cannabis product: call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, at any time. Call 000 in an emergency.11
For other groups who need extra caution, see Who should not take CBD? and CBD for children and teenagers.
Footnotes
-
Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: patient information, version 1, December 2017. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-patient-information.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Notice of interim decisions on proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard, June 2020 meetings: 4.1 cannabidiol. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/scheduling-decisions-interim/notice-interim-decisions-proposed-amendments-poisons-standard-acms-and-joint-acms-accs-meetings-june-2020/41-cannabidiol-private-application-and-cannabidiol-delegate-initiated ↩
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Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026, Appendix F (warning statements for cannabidiol in Schedule 3). https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
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Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Position statement: medical cannabis (2019 update, page updated April 2025). https://www.racgp.org.au/advocacy/position-statements/view-all-position-statements/clinical-and-practice-management/medical-cannabis ↩
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Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
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US Food and Drug Administration. What you should know about using cannabis, including CBD, when pregnant or breastfeeding, content current as of October 2019. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/what-you-should-know-about-using-cannabis-including-cbd-when-pregnant-or-breastfeeding ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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Bonn-Miller and others. Labelling accuracy of 84 cannabidiol products sold online. JAMA, 2017. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2661569 ↩
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Testing of medicinal cannabis products being supplied under the SAS in Australia. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/tga-laboratory-testing-reports/testing-medicinal-cannabis-products-being-supplied-sas-australia ↩
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UK Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. Provisional cannabidiol (CBD) acceptable daily intake: lay summary, October 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/provisional-cannabidiol-cbd-acceptable-daily-intake-adi/lay-summary ↩
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healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩
Common questions
Is CBD safe in pregnancy?
It has not been shown to be safe. No adequate studies exist in pregnant women, and animal studies found developmental harm at high doses. The TGA says medicinal cannabis is not appropriate in pregnancy, and the US FDA strongly advises against CBD in any form during pregnancy.
Can I use CBD while breastfeeding?
Regulators advise against it. There are no human data on how much CBD reaches breast milk or what it does to a breastfed baby. The Australian product information for Epidyolex says CBD will likely pass into milk and that breastfeeding should be discontinued during treatment.
Does CBD help morning sickness, and is it safe to try?
Our research found no trial of CBD for morning sickness, so there is no evidence that it helps. Because regulators advise against CBD in pregnancy, nausea in pregnancy is something to raise with your GP, midwife or pharmacist, who can tell you which treatments have been studied in pregnancy.
I used CBD before I knew I was pregnant. What should I do?
Tell your GP, obstetrician or midwife what you took, how much and for how long. No human studies show what early exposure does, so they cannot give you a precise risk, but they can advise on next steps. If CBD was prescribed for a condition such as epilepsy, speak to your prescriber before making any change.
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
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