Maternity Care for Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder: A Review

Abstract

Opioid misuse is a problem that is complex and widespread. Opioid misuse rates are rising across all US demographics, including among pregnant women. The opioid epidemic brings a unique set of challenges for maternity health care providers, ranging from ethical considerations to the complex health needs and risks for both woman and fetus. This article addresses care for pregnant women during the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum periods through the lens of the opioid epidemic, including screening and counseling, an interprofessional approach to prenatal care, legal considerations, and considerations for care during labor and birth and postpartum. Providers can be trained to identify at-risk women through the evidence-based process of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and connect them with the appropriate care to optimize outcomes. Women at moderate risk of opioid use disorder can be engaged in a brief conversation with their provider to discuss risks and enhance motivation for healthy behaviors. Women with risky opioid use can be given a warm referral to pharmacologic treatment programs, ideally comprehensive prenatal treatment programs where available (a warm referral is a term used when a provider, with the patient's permission, contacts another provider or another service him or herself rather than providing a phone number and referral number). Evidence regarding care for the pregnant woman with opioid use disorder and practical clinical recommendations are provided.

Keywords: SBIRT; buprenorphine; neonatal abstinence syndrome; neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome; opioid; pharmacotherapy; postpartum; pregnancy; screening.