Opioid Use and Treatment Among Pregnant Women
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Date
2023-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Women who misuse opioids during pregnancy are at risk for a variety of pregnancy-related complications. Further complicating this risk, pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) also require medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to wean off opioids without causing harm to their fetus. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between opioid misuse and its treatment among pregnant women. Data for this secondary analysis came from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a cross-sectional study reflective of the population of the United States of America. A Pearson chi-square test identified: 1) the association between pregnancy status and self-identified need for treatment of prescription pain reliever misuse in the past year; and 2) the association between pregnancy status and past or current treatment for prescription pain relievers. Additionally, a bivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between the self-identified need for treatment and past or current treatment. Among pregnant females, 0.90% (n=5) reported a self-identified need for treatment for prescription pain reliever misuse in the past 12 months compared to 0.32% (n=93) of non-pregnant females. Additionally, 26 (0.72%) of pregnant females reported past or current treatment for prescription pain relievers compared to 402 (0.37%) of non-pregnant females. In bivariate regressions, pregnant females were more likely to self-identify need for treatment (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]=2.80; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.14-6.93), and they were more likely to receive treatment (aOR=1.95; 95% CI: 1.31-2.90) than non-pregnant females. These results suggest that pregnant women may understand the risks of opioid use during pregnancy and the benefits of MAT. Further research needs to be conducted to identify if this increase in treatment is due to better screening, better access to treatment, or fewer legal consequences for reporting opioid use during pregnancy.
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Keywords
opioid use disorder, pregnant, medication assisted treatment, withdrawal