Methadone maintenance in pregnancy: consequences to care and outcome.
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the outcomes of the pregnancies of 26 narcotic-addicted women who were enrolled in a methadone maintenance program. Of these women, 88% continued to use other drugs during their pregnancy, with opiates the most frequently used, and 56% of these women had urine toxicology screens positive for either heroin, cocaine, or benzodiazepines when they presented in labor. When these women were compared with a similar group of 37 pregnant polydrug users who were not in the methadone maintenance program and who delivered during the same 12-month period, there was no difference in the birth weights or in the infants' one- and five-minute Apgar scores. However, the women in the methadone maintenance program had more prenatal visits, more adequate prenatal care, and less anemia than the non-methadone maintenance program drug users. When these two drug-using groups were compared with a control group of pregnant women who delivered within the same time period, there was a significant difference in the birth weights of these two groups. This raises the question of the effectiveness of methadone maintenance programs in promoting fetal growth and well-being and in reducing polydrug use during pregnancy.
Edelin
K C
KC
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts.
Gurganious
L
L
Golar
K
K
Oellerich
D
D
Kyei-Aboagye
K
K
Adel Hamid
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012907:Smoking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014556:Urine / Q000032:analysis
D008691:Methadone