Opioid use among women trying to conceive may be associated with a lower chance of pregnancy, suggests a National Institutes of Health study.
Of the 1,228 women in the study, 226 had used opioids while trying to conceive and 33 of 685 women who became pregnant had used opioids in early pregnancy.
Women who used opioids in the first four weeks of pregnancy were more than twice as likely to have a miscarriage.
Kerry Flannagan, Ph.D., the primary author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Division of Intramural Population Health Research, says “Our findings indicate that women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should, along with their physicians, consider the potential effects opioids may have on their ability to conceive or sustain a pregnancy”.
The authors of the study said that patients and physicians should assess the possible risks and benefits of opioids for pain relief among pregnant women or those who might become pregnant.
Here is the link to help you know more about NIH study of opioid and how it is linked to pregnancy loss! www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-suggests-opioid-use-linked-pregnancy-loss-lower-chance-conception
