Medically Supervised Opioid Withdrawal an Option for Pregnant Women, Doctors Say

While medication-assisted treatment is the recommended therapy for pregnant women addicted to opioids, medically supervised withdrawal is an option if a woman does not accept treatment, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said this week.

Medically supervised opioid withdrawal should be done under the care of a doctor experienced in perinatal addiction treatment, ACOG stated in a news release.

In the past, it was thought that stopping opioids during pregnancy was too risky for the fetus and mother, CNN reports.