Compliance and Satisfaction With a Protocol for Identifying Novel Targets to Support Postpartum Opioid Use Disorder...

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Perinatal Mental Health

Background:

• Opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment adherence is high during pregnancy, but postpartum relapse risk remains significant.
• Existing relapse prevention programs do not specifically address the postpartum period for individuals with OUD.
• Identifying novel predictors is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To preliminarily identify hormones and infant caregiving approaches as novel predictors of postpartum opioid misuse.
• To lay the groundwork for developing tailored relapse prevention programs for the postpartum period.
• To disseminate study protocol, recruitment, retention, compliance, and participant satisfaction data.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study followed individuals with (OUD+) and without (OUD-) opioid use disorder from late pregnancy to 5 months postpartum.
• Daily surveys captured substance use, craving, and infant interactions; weekly visits included biological sample collection for hormone assays.
• Follow-up visits occurred at postpartum months 4 and 5 to maintain data collection.

Main Results:

• High participant notification of childbirth (93%) and completion of at least one postpartum visit (87%).
• Procedure compliance varied (81% for surveys, 63% for dried blood spots), with lower rates among OUD+ and later time points.
• Subgroup analysis revealed high participant satisfaction with the study procedures.

Conclusions:

• The prospective cohort study was well-tolerated, despite the challenges of the postpartum period.
• Collected data offers opportunities to identify novel risk and protective factors for postpartum opioid misuse.
• Findings will inform the development of new, postpartum-specific relapse prevention interventions for individuals with OUD.