Pregnant Women With a Drug Use Disorder

Women who have used drugs during pregnancy and whose unborn children are at risk of birth defects and related health issues which may include low birth weight and a variety of behavioral and cognitive problems. If the woman is using heroin or other opiates, the fetus may be at risk of in utero addiction and development of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) which requires hospitalization and treatment with medication (often a morphine taper) to relieve symptoms until the baby adjusts to becoming opioid free.