Unintended pregnancy in opioid-abusing women

Sarah H. Heil, Hendree E. Jones, Amelia Arria, Karol Kaltenbach, Mara Coyle, Gabriele Fischer, Susan Stine, Peter Selby, Peter R. Martin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

131 Scopus citations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its three subtypes (mistimed, unwanted, and ambivalent) among opioid-abusing women. In the general population, 31%-47% of pregnancies are unintended; data on unintended pregnancy in opioid- and other drug-abusing women are lacking. Pregnant opioid-abusing women (N = 946) screened for possible enrollment in a multisite randomized controlled trial comparing opioid maintenance medications completed a standardized interview assessing sociodemographic characteristics, current and past drug use, and pregnancy intention. Almost 9 of every 10 pregnancies were unintended (86%), with comparable percentages mistimed (34%), unwanted (27%), and ambivalent (26%). Irrespective of pregnancy intention, more than 90% of the total sample had a history of drug abuse treatment, averaging more than three treatment episodes. Interventions are sorely needed to address the extremely high rate of unintended pregnancy among opioid-abusing women. Drug treatment programs are likely to be an important setting for such interventions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)199-202
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Volume40
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Drug abuse
  • Family planning
  • Intention
  • Opioid
  • Pregnancy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Phychiatric Mental Health
  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Unintended pregnancy in opioid-abusing women'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this