Exposure to low doses for short periods outside the first trimester appears to not be associated with a substantially increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders
According to 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 7% of women in the United States were prescribed opioids during pregnancy.1 Prescription opioid use among pregnant women with private insurance or Medicaid coverage in the US is prevalent.23 In particular, the incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome, as a result of drug withdrawal, increased by 83% from 2010 to 2017, albeit while declining by 18% between 2016 and 2020.45 However, the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children with prenatal opioid exposure remains unclear because previous studies had small sample sizes and limited follow-up periods.67 The linked study by Kang and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-077664) addressed this research gap using data from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea.8 Their study
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