Opioids now leading cause of pregnancy-related death in new Utah moms
(KUTV) — New research published this week in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology shows how pregnant women and new moms have been overlooked in studies of opioid deaths.
“If you think you don't know somebody with addiction, I respectfully disagree, and say you do know somebody,” sayid Dr. Marcela Smid, an assistant professor of maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Utah Health, and author of the paper.
The study, done between 2005 and 2014, found 136 Utah moms died while pregnant or within one year of giving birth. 35 of those deaths were linked to drug use.
“People think this time of having a child is this joyous time — and it is a joyous time — and it's also an incredibly stressful time,” Smid said.
The study found that, of those deaths, 85% happened in one particular time period Dr. Smid calls the most vulnerable.
"It's 43 days to one year postpartum, and that's the way it's been that we've missed these moms because these moms need extended care in the postpartum period," Smid said.
Of the drug-related deaths, two-thirds involved opioids — showing use of multiple substances — and the majority of the deaths were accidental, Smid said.
The study found women are afraid to tell others about the drug use for fear of losing their child. Smid says providers don't know what to do with new moms who are or may become addicted.
"That hasn't been taught pervasively in medical schools, in nursing schools, in midwife schools," she said.
Smid says there's not enough research on how to take care of pregnant women with any kind of addiction.
“What this paradigm is showing is that pregnancy starts a chain of evidence, or can exacerbate underlying conditions that lead this woman to death,” she said.
