Abstract
Purpose
Given the health consequences, perinatal substance use is a significant public health concern, especially as substance use rates increase among women; ongoing data regarding the rates of substance use across trimesters of pregnancy is needed.
Methods
The present study utilized cross-sectional population-based data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) between 2009 and 2019. We aimed to explore both licit and illicit substance use assessed within each trimester among women endorsing past-year substance use. The NSDUH sample included 8,530 pregnant women.
Results
Perinatal substance use was less prevalent among women in later trimesters; however, past-month substance use was observed for all substances across trimesters. The prevalence of past-month licit substance use among pregnant women ranged from 5.77 to 22.50% and past-month illicit substance use ranged from 4.67 to 14.81%. In the second trimester, lower odds of past-month substance use were observed across tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana (odds ratios [ORs] ranging from 0.29 to 0.47), when compared to the first trimester. A similar lower rate of past-month substance use was observed in the third trimester compared to the first trimester, across tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use, as well as cocaine, prescription pain medication, and tranquilizer use (ORs ranging from 0.02 to 0.42). The likelihood of polysubstance use was lower among women in the second and third trimesters compared to the first trimester (ORs ranging from 0.09 to 0.46).
Conclusion
Findings indicate that a minority of women continue to use substances across all trimesters. This is especially true among women using licit substances and marijuana. These results highlight the need for improved interventions and improved access to treatment for these women.
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Funding
This work was supported by National Institute of Health grants U54AA027989 (SAM), P50DA033945 (SAM), K01AA025670 (TLV), R03AA028361 (TLV), K23AA02689 (WR), and T32DA007238 (MRP). The funding agency had no involvement in the study design, interpretation of data, writing of the report or the decision to submit the article for publication.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by MacKenzie Peltier, PhD, and Walter Roberts, PhD. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MacKenzie Peltier, PhD, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Peltier, M.R., Roberts, W., Verplaetse, T.L. et al. Licit and illicit drug use across trimesters in pregnant women endorsing past-year substance use: Results from National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2009–2019). Arch Womens Ment Health 25, 819–827 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01244-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01244-6