Caring for Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder

Purpose of ReviewThe US opioid epidemic continues historic trends of disproportionately affecting women. However, attention to the rise in neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and other types of neonatal care often overshadow the urgent need for improved and more wide-ranging maternal treatment in the peripartum period.Recent FindingsThis review aims to highlight the trends in maternal morbidity and mortality related to substance use disorder (SUD), to discuss the under-funding of woman-focused interventions, and to discuss medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options for women with SUD. We found that the rates of pregnancy-related mortality are highest for SUD-related deaths and remains at crisis levels.SummaryWomen continue to face barriers to treatment access, and there is a critical need to provide new mothers in recovery with more comprehensive and supportive care in the peripartum period.