Treatments for opioid use disorder during pregnancy

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.