Exploring Family Planning Perspectives Among Men Receiving Medications for Opioid Use Disorder: Implications for Service Development.

Abstract

Studies have consistently found high rates of unintended pregnancy among women with substance use disorder. While research efforts have begun to focus on understanding needs and providing family planning services for women in treatment, few studies have included men. This has resulted in a gap in the literature regarding men's reproductive health experiences and family planning desires. Between December 2019 and February 2020, we conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with adult men receiving medications for opioid use disorder at a safety-net healthcare system in Denver, Colorado. Interviews were recorded and analyzed using the Rapid Assessment Process. Fifteen men participated in an interview. Overall, men described feeling excluded from family planning education and services as well as from decision making with their partners. Participants desired knowledge and resources related to contraceptive methods, partner communication, and parenting. Additional themes included loss of autonomy around pregnancy decisions, the importance of fatherhood, and the importance of addressing family planning during recovery. Participants expressed interest in a family planning intervention but indicated that engaging men on this topic may be challenging. Our findings suggest that men in treatment desire education and involvement in family planning. Participants endorsed access to a subject expert within the treatment environment, but engagement strategies that underscore topic relevance to men will be critical. Initiating a conversation involving education and service navigation in the treatment setting may be a promising strategy for engaging men in recovery in family planning and improving men's access to needed services and resources.