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SAMHSA calls on Congress to address opioid misuse in pregnant women
A recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shed light on the issue of opioid misuse among pregnant women in the U.S.
“It is critical that pregnant women of all ages have access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services that meet their specialized needs,” Kana Enomoto, MA, deputy assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at SAMHSA, said in a press release. “Programs that provide pregnant women with access to opioid use disorder treatment and reproductive health services can help ensure that these future mothers and their children live healthier, happier and more productive lives.”
To assess opioid misuse and treatment among women of childbearing age, researchers analyzed data from 2007 to 2012 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, 2012 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), and the 2012 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) for women aged 15 to 44 years.
On average, 21,000 pregnant women reported past-month opioid misuse each year.
Women who were younger or living below the federal poverty level were more likely to misuse opioids in the past month, compared with other pregnant women.
Among pregnant women admitted for opioid treatment, 22.9% reported heroin use and 28.1% reported non-heroin opioid misuse.
Buprenorphine or methadone were utilized in treatment among approximately half of pregnant women admitted with heroin use, compared with one-quarter of non-pregnant women admitted.
Further, treatment with buprenorphine or methadone was less common among women admitted with non-heroin opioid misuse.
Approximately 13% of outpatient substance use treatment facilities and residential treatment facilities offered special programs for pregnant or postpartum women.
Medicaid was accepted at 61% to 79% of facilities that offered special programs or groups to pregnant or postpartum women.
“Access to opioid misuse treatment within a continuum of obstetric and medical care is vital for pregnant women,” the researchers wrote. “In addition to expanded substance use treatment coverage, one of the key reforms of the Affordable Care Act is comprehensive coverage of preventive services for women and young children, including preconception and prenatal care visits. Helping pregnant women who need opioid misuse treatment access these newly available substance use treatment resources as well as expanded prenatal medical care resources may improve health outcomes for mothers and infants.”
In response to these findings, SAMHSA plans to issue a report to Congress and publish it to Federal Register for public comments.
The report will include background information on prenatal opioid exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome, evidence and recommendations for preventing and treating neonatal abstinence syndrome and a strategy to address these issues. – by Amanda Oldt
Reference :
Smith K, Lipari RN. The CBHSQ report: Women of childbearing age and opioids. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data. Accessed January 26, 2016.