Outcomes of Pregnancy for Addicts Receiving Comprehensive Care

Abstract

This study reports pregnancy outcomes for 105 addicted women enrolled in New York Medical College's Pregnant Addicts and Addicted Mothers Program. Three classes of variables are examined: prenatal care variables, obstetrical outcomes, and neonatal outcomes. As a first step, percentage distributions are shown for all variables within each class. With respect to the second and third classes, comparisons are made when possible to findings reported elsewhere on heroin-addicted, methadone-maintained, and drug-free populations. Zero-order correlations are then shown for the prenatal care variables versus the neonatal outcomes. It is found that the mother's number of prenatal medical visits correlates significantly with the neonate's gestational age at birth and birth weight, and that her methadone dose at time of delivery correlates significantly with the neonate's withdrawal status. The effect of the prenatal care variables on the two key neonatal outcomes-gestational age at birth and birth weight-is then examined via a stepwise regression analysis. It is found that two of the variables-gestational duration at first prenatal visit and number of prenatal visits-together account for 18.5% of the variance in birth weight and 26.9% of the variance in gestational age at birth, while maternal methadone dose has virtually no effect on these outcome measures. The findings indicate that better neonatal outcomes are associated with the mother's joining the program relatively early in pregnancy and coming in relatively often for prenatal care.