Substance misuse during pregnancy is still a problem in the United States. According to the March of Dimes, about 1 in 20 women,*or five percent, use street drugs during pregnancy. Street drugs are illegal or illicit drugs including heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and prescription drugs that are abused. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated that from 2018-2020, 13.5 percent of pregnant adults in the United Stated reported that they drank alcohol and roughly five percent reported binge drinking in the past 30 days. This issue is particularly concerning in Ohio, as the majority of pregnancy-related deaths were due to overdose from 2017 to 2018.
About 1 in 20 women use street drugs during pregnancy.
There are currently state efforts to handle substance misuse for birthing parents such as Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment and Reducing Trauma) and the MOMS (Maternal Opiate Medical Supports) Program. Another resource was recently released by the strategy nine [DA1] (their purpose is to invest in services for maternal substance use and mental health disorders) team of the Ohio Council to Advance Maternal Health, or OH-CAMH. They introduced an educational pamphlet— called the Support Guide for a Healthy Pregnancy— for individuals who work with people who use substances while pregnant. The pamphlet is available electronically, and the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative is distributing physical copies.
Public health practices to help birthing parents who may misuse substances
The pamphlet provides comprehensive information. If individuals who serve birthing parents have an indication that their clients/patients are misusing drugs or substances, they can apply the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) concept, introduced in the document. SBIRT is a public health approach to implement the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for individuals who are either suffering from or at risk of developing substance use disorders. Steps include:
- Screening to quickly determine the severity of substance use and the appropriate level of treatment.
- Brief Intervention to increase insight and awareness about substance use and the motivation to change behaviors.
- Referral to treatment for people who need more extensive treatment with access to specialty care.
The pamphlet details screening guidelines, terms to use, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health (DSM- 5) Criteria for Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Moreover, it points out words that could add stigma and offers the appropriate language to use instead. For example, it is better to say return to use instead of relapse; and person with substance use disorder instead of addict/junkie.
Birthing parents who suffer from substance misuse can receive the proper treatment(s) to feel better and become healthier for themselves and their babies.
Substance use treatment is essential to help birthing parents who use substances to recover
In addition, the pamphlet provides information on substance use treatment. Buprenorphine is one of the medications to treat opioid use disorder and physicians can prescribe patients this medication without registering a DATA Waiver. The pamphlet also offers links to referrals about treatment (e.g. relink.org and findtreatment.gov) tobacco cessation, suicide prevention, and both Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. Given the necessary information, the Support Guide for a Healthy Pregnancy is a valuable resource for individuals who work with birthing parents of substance use. By using this source, birthing parents who suffer from substance misuse can receive the proper treatment(s) to feel better and become healthier for themselves and their babies.
*Although we use the terms ‘women’ and ‘mothers’ in some cases due to how earlier data was reported, we acknowledge and recognize that not everyone who could carry a pregnancy refers to themselves this way. We respect the identity of all pregnant or birthing people.
