Supported by the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development, the study underscores the necessity for ongoing dialogue and research aimed at improving neonatal outcomes for infants born to mothers with OUD.

Despite the approval of buprenorphine in 2002 and efforts to expand access, significant barriers remain for pregnant women with OUD, emphasizing the need for improved policies to enhance treatment access.

Researchers noted a troubling trend: more than half of pregnant women with OUD do not receive treatment, despite a more than fivefold increase in OUD rates among this population from 1999 to 2017.

The study also revealed concerning disparities in treatment access, with non-Hispanic Black women being significantly less likely to receive buprenorphine compared to their counterparts.

Preterm birth is a critical public health concern, affecting 10.4% of all pregnancies in the U.S. as of 2022, and is linked to OUD, with estimates suggesting that about 20% of pregnant women with OUD experience preterm births.

The study, led by Sunaya Krishnapura from Vanderbilt University, analyzed data from over 14,000 pregnant women with OUD enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid between 2010 and 2021, focusing on 7,469 mother-child pairs who received buprenorphine treatment.

Experts are calling for future research to explore the long-term effects of buprenorphine on both mothers and infants, as well as to identify more effective treatments for OUD during pregnancy.

While buprenorphine has clear benefits, experts emphasize the importance of balancing these against potential risks, such as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and long-term developmental effects on infants.

A recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2025 Meeting reveals that pregnant women treated with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) experience significantly better health outcomes for themselves and their infants compared to those who do not receive treatment.

The research indicates that buprenorphine treatment is associated with a 5.3% lower probability of preterm birth, with rates at 11.7% for treated women versus 17.0% for untreated women, as highlighted by senior author Stephen Patrick from Emory University.

Preterm births are associated with increased risks of various health issues in children, including respiratory problems, infections, and developmental delays.

Limitations of the study include reliance on filled prescription records rather than direct observation of medication administration and a focus on Medicaid enrollees in Tennessee, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.