Overdose deaths in pregnant, postpartum women tripled in as many years: NIH

 

Nearly triple the number of overdose deaths among pregnant and postpartum women occurred between 2018 and 2021, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health. The rate of overdoses increased from 4.9 per 100,000 women between the ages 35-44 to 15.8 in 2021, according to the NIH. Deaths were more likely to be outside of health care facilities, despite having access to high-quality hospitals. The increase in overdose deaths could signal that there are still significant barriers to addiction treatment among vulnerable populations.