Opioid use disorder during pregnancy poses substantial risks of harm to maternal and fetal health, including overdose, preterm birth, neonatal complications, and maternal and fetal death. 1 2 Methadone and buprenorphine are the recommended medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). 1 -3 Methadone has been the standard treatment in pregnancy for more than three decades, but buprenorphine is increasingly used in many settings. 3his shift reflects buprenorphine's pharmacological advantage as a partial opioid agonist 2 with a lower risk of sedation and respiratory depression, together with early evidence suggesting favourable neonatal outcomes. 1 2Yet, uncertainty has persisted about the comparative effects of opioid use on the neurodevelopment of children.
Tran et al. (Wed,) studied this question.