CBD, pregnancy and breastfeeding: 4 agencies, one answer
CBD is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, in any format. EFSA finds its safety cannot be established in pregnant and breastfeeding women, ANSES has proposed classifying it as toxic to reproduction, and the Epidyolex label says to stop breastfeeding during treatment. Animal studies are the main basis for these positions, as human data are lacking.
Key takeaways
- EFSA, ANSES, the EMA and the FDA either advise against CBD in pregnancy and breastfeeding or regard its safety as unproven.
- Monkey, rat and mouse studies supplied the warning signs, on fertility, deaths around birth and neurological development.
- In mothers who used cannabis, milk held a median CBD concentration twice that of their plasma.
- Up to 0.30% THC is allowed in a CBD product, and THC is known to cross the placenta and reach milk.
What the agencies say, on one page
None of the health agencies has found CBD safe for a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding. They word it differently and reach the same conclusion.
| Authority | Document | Position |
|---|---|---|
| EFSA (European Union) | Opinion on CBD as a novel food, February 2026 | Safety not established in pregnancy and breastfeeding |
| ANSES (France) | Classification proposal, March 2025 | Presumed toxic to reproduction, category 1B, and to breastfed children |
| EMA (European Union) | Epidyolex label | Not in pregnancy unless the benefit to the mother clearly outweighs the risk; stop breastfeeding |
| FDA (United States) | Consumer update, 2019 | Advised against; transfer to breast milk expected |
On 9 February 2026 the European Food Safety Authority set a provisional safe level of 0.0275 mg per kilo per day, about 2 mg a day for an adult weighing 70 kg. Some groups are left out of that benchmark. For people under 25, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people on medication, EFSA concludes that CBD's safety cannot be established.
For a prescribed product, the European label of Epidyolex, the only authorised cannabidiol medicine, goes further. It advises, as a precaution, against cannabidiol during pregnancy unless the potential benefit to the mother clearly outweighs the potential risk to the foetus. Breastfeeding should stop during treatment. Our file on Epidyolex covers the medicine.
What animal studies show
The Epidyolex label acknowledges that human data on CBD in pregnancy are very limited, so the warnings rest on animal work. On 21 March 2025, ANSES proposed classifying CBD as a presumed human reproductive toxicant, in category 1B. Its dossier draws on studies in monkeys, rats and mice showing effects on sperm production and fertility, more deaths around birth and altered neurological development.
Much of this evidence comes from the preclinical tests run to authorise Epidyolex, first in the United States and then in Europe. The FDA read them the same way as early as 2019: at high doses, CBD caused problems with the reproductive system of male foetuses in pregnant test animals.
These studies have two limits. They use high doses designed for a medicine, and they involve animals whose pregnancy physiology differs from ours. Still, no study in pregnant women allows anyone to conclude that CBD is harmless, and that gap settles the question.
CBD in breast milk
A US team measured cannabinoids in the blood and milk of 20 breastfeeding mothers who used cannabis. Its results, published in 2021 in Pediatric Research, show a median CBD concentration of 1.2 ng/ml in milk, against 0.6 ng/ml in plasma. The milk-to-plasma ratio was 2.6 for CBD and 7.0 for THC, and the authors conclude that both molecules build up in milk.
The mothers used cannabis, so the study cannot say how much CBD passes after a commercial oil. It does show that the molecule gets into milk, as the FDA had expected. The effects of that exposure on infants have not yet been measured.
THC, a risk the label does not show
The decree of 30 December 2021 lets a CBD product sold in France contain up to 0.30% Δ⁹-THC. THC crosses the placenta and passes into milk, where regular use can bring it up to 8 times the maternal plasma concentration, according to the French reference centre on teratogenic agents (CRAT). The CRAT advises against cannabis during breastfeeding and judges it undesirable during pregnancy.
The FDA points to a further risk: CBD products can be contaminated with substances dangerous to the foetus, THC among them. How the two molecules differ is explained in our article THC and CBD: the differences.
The EU classification: a procedure under way
ANSES made its proposal under the European CLP regulation, which harmonises the labelling of hazardous substances. The hazard statements sought are H360FD, "may damage fertility, may damage the unborn child", and H362, "may cause harm to breast-fed children". From 17 March to 16 May 2025, the dossier was open to public consultation on the European Chemicals Agency's website.
That agency's Committee for Risk Assessment acts next, followed by the European Commission. Until a regulation is published, the classification is only a proposal and bans no product. What is on sale today is covered in our update on CBD regulation in 2026.
What to do in practice
Oil, flower, resin, capsule or cosmetic: the advice does not change with the format. The agencies give no safe dose, because the data needed to set one do not exist. In the Phytogrammes catalogue, the oil product pages carry the warning "do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding".
If you took CBD before learning you were pregnant, or while breastfeeding, speak to your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. They can look at your situation and contact the CRAT if needed. Our article on CBD side effects summarises the effects known outside pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
No. No dose has been found safe in pregnancy. According to EFSA, CBD's safety cannot be established in pregnant women, and the Epidyolex label limits its use to cases where the benefit to the mother clearly outweighs the risk.
Yes, it has been measured in milk. Among 20 mothers who used cannabis, the median CBD concentration in milk was 1.2 ng/ml, twice the plasma level. No one has studied the effects on infants.
Cosmetics get no exception from any agency, and no study has measured how much CBD passes through a pregnant woman's skin. Ask a health professional before using one.
Not yet with legal effect. ANSES proposed category 1B in March 2025. The classification will apply only once the European Chemicals Agency's Committee for Risk Assessment has given its opinion and the European Commission has decided.
Stop and mention it to your doctor or midwife at your next appointment. The CRAT reports no malformation effect after cannabis exposure in the first trimester, though only a professional can assess your own case.
Written by the Phytogrammes team
Each journal article draws on cited primary sources: ANSM, EFSA, EUR-Lex and peer-reviewed publications. Product profiles are distinguished from documented laboratory results. Our approach.
Article published on . CBD is not a medicine.