Increases in Methamphetamine-Related Treatment Admissions for Pregnant Women

Methamphetamine is an increasingly common drug of abuse in the US. Whether this rise has had an impact on substance abuse treatment (SAT) utilization by pregnant women is not well known. Researchers conducted an observational study of SAT admissions among pregnant women using the Treatment Episode Data Set, a database of admissions to federally funded treatment programs. Investigators analyzed data spanning a 12-year period (1994– 2006) to determine trends in admissions over time and demographic and treatment characteristics of patients admitted specifically for methamphetamine use.

• The proportion of SAT admissions due to methamphetamines among pregnant women increased from 8% in 1994 to 24% in 2006—more than 3 times the rate for men and twice the rate for nonpregnant women.

• By 2004, methamphetamine was the most common drug of abuse among SAT-seeking pregnant women, surpassing cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana.

• More than half of SAT-seeking pregnant women had no health insurance.

• An increasing proportion of pregnant women using methamphetamine and seeking treatment were Hispanic (13% in 1994, 24% in 2006). Few were African American (3%), which did not change over time. By 2006, more than one-quarter of methamphetamine-related admissions among pregnant women were in the South and Midwest US; the remainder were in the West, with few admissions in the Northeast.

Comments:

Methamphetamine is an increasingly common drug of abuse among pregnant women seeking SAT. Substance abuse treatment providers, obstetricians, and family physicians need to collaborate to treat this important and increasingly ethnically diverse and geographically widespread group to ensure best outcomes for maternal and child health.

Hillary Kunins, MD, MPH, MS

Reference:

Terplan M, Smith EJ, Kozloski MJ, et al. Methamphetamine use among pregnant women. Obstet Gynecol. 2009; 113(6):1285–1291.