Increased maternal and neonatal morbidity seen in association with opioid-related diagnoses<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The rates of opioid-related diagnoses have increased among pregnant individuals, and they are associated with increased risks for maternal and neonatal morbidity, according to a study published online Dec. 23 in the Journal of Addiction Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Kristin C. Prewitt, M.D., M.P.H., from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and colleagues examined the associations between opioid-related diagnoses in pregnancy and maternal and neonatal outcomes in a retrospective cohort study of California-linked hospital-discharge vital statistics data from 2008 to 2020.<\/p>\n A total of 5,546,744 singleton pregnancies with a gestational age of 23 to 42 weeks were included; 13,749 (0.25 percent) had an opioid-related diagnosis. The researchers found that from 2008 to 2020, there was an increase in the prevalence of an opioid-related diagnosis from 0.14 to 0.33 percent in pregnant individuals. The risks for hypertensive disease, severe maternal morbidity (SMM), nontransfusion SMM, and blood transfusion were higher in association with opioid-related diagnoses (adjusted risk ratios [aRRs], 1.23, 1.84, 2.16, and 1.77, respectively). The risks for infant death, preterm birth <37 weeks, neonatal intensive care unit admission, respiratory distress syndrome, and neonatal abstinence syndrome were increased among neonates of individuals with an opioid-related diagnosis (aRRs, 1.72, 1.71, 2.80, 2.40, and 70.18, respectively).<\/p>\n “The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to further characterize the impact of opioid class, timing of use, potency, and route of use on short-term and long-term maternal and offspring outcomes to better inform obstetric counseling of pregnant individuals on the potential harms of use and to mitigate adverse perinatal outcomes,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n