Predicting and Preventing Adverse Maternal and Child Outcomes of Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy

Background: 7% of pregnant women in the U.S. use opioids and 21% of these women report misuse, making opioid use disorder (OUD) a major public health concern during pregnancy. The number of infants born with prenatal opioid exposure, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and costly prolonged hospitalization has increased exponentially. The opioid epidemic is further worsened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite medication treatment for OUD with buprenorphine (BUP) or methadone (METH), these pregnant women continue to be at high risk for early relapse, polysubstance use, and depression. These infants are at risk for not only immediate NOWS and also poor long-term neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes. Genetic factors influence 30-60% of opioid adverse events (AEs). In pregnant women on medication management for OUD, and infants receiving opioids for NOWS treatment there is variability in dose required to prevent withdrawal symptoms and craving, likely related to physiological alterations, upregulation of metabolic and biological pathways, determined in part by opioid pharmacogenomics. Investigators have shown that in children and adults, opioid related poor clinical outcomes are related to opioid receptor genetic variations and resulting variations in their metabolism. Maternal depression and anxiety increase the risks for OUD, maternal relapse, NOWS and negatively impact pregnant women and their children. Thus, there is an urgent and unmet clinical need for a reliable tool to proactively predict maternal relapse, NOWS, and improve the safety of pregnant women with OUD and their children.