Increases in Methamphetamine-Related Treatment Admissions for Pregnant Women

Methamphetamine is an increasingly common drug of abuse in the US. Whether this rise has had an impact on substance abuse treatment (SAT) utilization by pregnant women is not well known. Researchers conducted an observational study of SAT admissions among pregnant women using the Treatment Episode Data Set, a database of admissions to federally funded treatment programs. Investigators analyzed data spanning a 12-year period (1994–2006) to determine trends in admissions over time and demographic and treatment characteristics of patients admitted specifically for methamphetamine use.

• The proportion of SAT admissions due to methamphetamines among pregnant women increased from 8% in 1994 to 24% in 2006—more than 3 times the rate for men and twice the rate for nonpregnant women.
• By 2004, methamphetamine was the most common drug of abuse among SAT-seeking pregnant women, surpassing cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana.
• More than half of SAT-seeking pregnant women had no health insurance.
• An increasing proportion of pregnant women using methamphetamine and seeking treatment were Hispanic (13% in 1994, 24% in 2006). Few were African American (3%), which did not change over time.
• By 2006, more than one-quarter of methamphetamine-related admissions among pregnant women were in the South and Midwest US; the remainder were in the West, with few admissions in the Northeast.

Comments by Tommie Ann Bower, MA
This prevalence study both informs and warns us. Estimating that admissions represents only a quarter of those needing treatment, the rise in methamphetamine use among pregnant women is alarming both because of its association with low birth weight and related harms and because of the well-documented social impact of parental substance abuse on children. These findings should prompt those working with child-bearing populations to screen diligently for methamphetamine use to ensure that women affected by the epidemic receive treatment and continuing support for abstinence.