Opioid agonist therapy is the standard of care for pregnant women with Opioid Use Disorder, but medication-assisted withdrawal from opioid agonist therapy is increasingly prevalent. We review available literature evaluating the risks and benefits of medication-assisted withdrawal. We highlight the importance of supporting women in making an informed treatment choice that is best for them. Although it is tempting to choose medication-assisted withdrawal to decrease the risk of newborn opioid withdrawal, we caution against this practice. Facilitating treatment that assists pregnant women in recovery ultimately produces the best outcome for women and their children.
Keywords: Buprenorphine; Medication-assisted withdrawal; Methadone; Opioid agonist therapy; Opioid use disorder; Pregnancy.
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