Steep Rise in Births to U.S. Women Using Opioids

TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2017 (HealthDay Information) -- Over a decade, there was a virtually fivefold improve within the variety of infants born every year to American girls who've used opioids, a federal authorities report says.

There was additionally a dramatic rise within the variety of infants born with a dependency on opioids, the report discovered. These medicine embody heroin and prescription painkillers akin to fentanyl, oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin).

"It's vital that pregnant girls of all ages have entry to prevention, therapy and restoration providers that meet their specialised wants," stated Kana Enomoto, from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration (SAMHSA).

"Packages that present pregnant girls with entry to opioid use dysfunction therapy and reproductive well being providers may help be certain that these future moms and their kids stay more healthy, happier, and extra productive lives," Enomoto stated in an company information launch. SAMHSA ready the report for U.S. Congress.

General, girls of childbearing age who have been pregnant have been much less prone to have used an opioid lately (1 p.c) in comparison with non-pregnant girls (three p.c), the SAMHSA research discovered.

Nonetheless, even that one p.c determine interprets to a median of about 21,000 pregnant girls utilizing opioids for "non-medical causes" prior to now month, the report's authors stated.

Age was a significant factor in opioid use throughout being pregnant. Youthful girls are considerably extra doubtless to make use of opioids for non-medical causes throughout being pregnant. These 15-17 had the very best use (2.eight p.c), whereas girls between 18 and 25 had the subsequent highest charges (1.5 p.c).

In distinction, amongst pregnant girls over 25, solely zero.5 p.c had used opioids for a non-medical purpose prior to now month, the report stated.

Of the greater than 21,000 girls who have been pregnant when admitted for substance abuse therapy in 2012, 23 p.c reported heroin use, whereas 28 p.c reported utilizing a non-heroin opioid.

Particular therapy packages for pregnant/postpartum girls aren't all the time straightforward to search out, the research discovered. Actually, in response to SAMHSA, simply 13 p.c of outpatient-only substance abuse therapy services provide packages for pregnant and postpartum girls. And 13 p.c of residential therapy services have such packages, in response to 2012 SAMHSA information.