Innovative approaches to reduce unintended pregnancy and improve access to contraception among women who use opioids

Abstract

Dramatic increases in the rate of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy have been paralleled by substantial increases in the number of neonates diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Women with OUD have reliably reported high rates of unintended pregnancy and a number of studies also indicate they desire easier access to contraception. Recent statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics/American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have drawn increased attention to efforts to prevent unintended pregnancy and improve access to contraception among women with OUD. We briefly review a number of innovative clinical approaches in these areas, including efforts to integrate family planning services into substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and other settings that serve people with OUD and interventions that aim to make family planning a higher priority among women with OUD. Results suggest many of these approaches have led to increases in contraceptive use and may aid in efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and improve access to contraception among women with OUD now and in the future.