Opioid use disorder in pregnancy -- medication treatment improves outcomes for mothers and infants

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/wkh-oud041417.php

Public Release: 14-Apr-2017
Opioid use disorder in pregnancy -- medication treatment improves outcomes for mothers and infants
Holters Kluwer Health

Medication for addiction treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine or methadone is an appropriate and accepted treatment for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD), according to a research review and update in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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US rates of prescription opioid use and misuse continue to increase, including among women of childbearing age. Infants born to mothers with OUD are at risk of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), developing signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal after birth. Because of the growing number of pregnant women with OUD and the health risks to mother and child, there is an urgent need for evidence on effective treatment approaches.

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