Prescription Opioids in Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: A Review of the Literature

Mahsa M. Yazdy; Rishi J. Desai; Susan B. Brogly

doi:10.1055/s-0035-1556740

Journal of Pediatric Genetics, Table of Contents

J Pediatr Genet 2015; 04(02): 056-070
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1556740

Review Article

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Prescription Opioids in Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: A Review of the Literature

Mahsa M. Yazdy

¹Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

,

Rishi J. Desai

²Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

,

Susan B. Brogly

³Department of Medicine and Surgery, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Prescription opioids are used prenatally for the management of pain, as well as for opiate dependency. Opioids are known to cross the placenta and despite the evidence of possible adverse effects on fetal development, studies have consistently shown prescription opioids are among the most commonly prescribed medications and the prevalence of use is increasing among pregnant women. This article summarizes the available literature documenting potential harms associated with prescription opioid use during pregnancy, including poor fetal growth, preterm birth, birth defects, and neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Keywords

opioids - pregnancy - fetal growth - birth weight - birth defects - neonatal abstinence syndrome

Full Text

References

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