Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Mothers Using Opioids

Pregnancy may be the only time that a woman presents for medical care and when an opioid use disorder can be identified and treated.

The aim of this study, determination of maternal and neonatal outcomes in mothers using opioids.

This prospective cohort study was carried out on 159 pregnant women who used opioids and 474 healthy subjects in Kamali Hospital in Karaj from 2014 to 2017. The data were collected using a checklist, containing social, midwifery, obstetric, and neonatal data. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19.

In the present study, there were no significant differences between the two exposed and non-exposed groups in terms of mean age, pregnancy/maternal characteristics; however, there were significant differences in terms of weight gain and care services (P < 0.001). The frequency of all kinds of drugs; Methamphetamine with 27.7%; heroin with 25.8%; and opium with 24.5% were the most consumed drugs. Among the newborns in the two groups, the first and fifth minutes of Apgar score, weight, and admission were significant (P < 0.001). The prevalence of infants less than 2500 in the group faces 21.4% in contrast to 3.4% in the non-exposed group.

Given the increasing number of mothers consuming Opioids within pregnancy and the irreparable side effects of these drugs, it is important to pay attention to this and to provide coping strategies.