What you need to know
- Substance use disorder treatment during pregnancy is individualized and may include counseling, medication, and peer support.
- Prenatal care is important for a healthy pregnancy, and it can also support overall health and recovery goals.
- Anyone seeking treatment for SUD can start by talking with a health care provider or contacting SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP).
If you’re pregnant and living with substance use disorder, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that about 5 percent of the pregnant population in the U.S. use one or more addictive substances. If you need help, evidence-based treatment can support your pregnancy, your health, and your recovery goals.
“The more well that the pregnant woman is, the better the pregnancy is, and the better the situation is for the baby,” says Quinn Ingemi, associate director of behavioral health at the New Jersey-based maternal and child health consortium The Cooperative, which connects participants to SUD treatment during pregnancy through Project Embrace.
For anyone with SUD, including if you’re pregnant, treatment is individualized based on each person’s health and goals.
“We’re invested in engaging with the people that we work with and letting them know that we’re not here to push any certain intervention on them,” Ingemi explains. “We really do believe in walking side by side in their journey.”
Here’s what to know about SUD treatment during pregnancy and where to find help.
What is substance use disorder?
SUD occurs when substance use becomes difficult to control and interferes with a person’s health or daily life. It can range from mild to severe. People can enter pregnancy at many different points in substance use, treatment, or recovery, and their care needs can vary.
“Substance use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain, and so if someone has not been able to achieve recovery and wellness when the pregnancy occurs, they may find themself in that tricky spot of being in active use while also being pregnant,” Ingemi says. “There are plenty of people [with SUD] who are in active recovery for short periods or long periods of time and enter their pregnancy without active use. For those people who may not have a lot of recovery time yet and become pregnant, it can be more challenging for them, and certainly for individuals that are in active use and become pregnant, it’s a real challenge.”
What are the risks of substance use during pregnancy?
Substance use during pregnancy can increase health risks overall and for the developing fetus. Alcohol, nicotine, illicit drugs, and prescription medications used in a way other than prescribed can pass through the placenta. The specific risks depend on many factors, including the substance, amount, frequency, and stage of pregnancy, but can include preterm birth, low birth weight, certain birth defects, stillbirth, and neonatal withdrawal syndrome, which refers to withdrawal symptoms in some newborns after exposure to certain substances before birth.
How does stigma impact SUD treatment during pregnancy?
Stigma and fear of legal consequences can prevent people from seeking SUD treatment. While state laws and reporting requirements vary, federal law protects the confidentiality of many SUD treatment records. Those protections do not necessarily prevent disclosures required under state reporting laws.
Compassionate help is available.
“There are people in this industry that are ready to accept people where they are, without judgment and without bias, to be able to help them in the best way possible,” Ingemi says.
What does SUD treatment during pregnancy involve?
“Treatment options [for SUD during pregnancy] are the same treatment options that are available to non-pregnant people,” Ingemi says.
SUD treatment may include:
- Individual counseling
- Group therapy
- In-patient rehabilitation
- Medication
- Peer support
Pregnancy can affect which medications, monitoring, and other services are appropriate. A health care provider can help you weigh treatment options based on the substances you use, your health, your pregnancy, and your goals.
Can you take medication for opioid use disorder during pregnancy?
Medication for opioid use disorder can help people stop or reduce opioid use by managing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. In 2024, about 2.2 million people in the U.S. received MOUD. Medication treatment is also recommended for people with opioid use disorder during pregnancy.
“[MOUD is] actually best practice for someone who is actively using opioids or dependent on opioids,” Ingemi says. “It’s a first line of treatment for non-pregnant people and for pregnant women as well.”
How can prenatal care support SUD treatment?
A 2026 study found that internalized stigma—negative beliefs or shame people may absorb because of public stigma around substance use—was associated with delays in seeking prenatal care for those with SUD. Regular prenatal care gives your health care team opportunities to monitor your pregnancy and identify complications early.
Your prenatal team may also talk with you about other health concerns and circumstances that can affect pregnancy, including nutrition, infectious diseases, mental health, medications, housing, transportation, and safety at home. For people with opioid use disorder, prenatal care may also include discussing plans for pain management during labor, delivery, and after birth that support recovery goals.
Where can someone connect to SUD treatment during pregnancy?
Anyone looking for SUD treatment can start by talking to a health care provider or calling SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP). Additionally, Postpartum Support International offers a virtual SUD support group during pregnancy and for new parents.
New Jersey residents in participating counties can connect to care by calling or emailing Project Embrace.
“We help link people to the experts that can help them along the way, whether that’s medical care or substance use care or mental health care or social services,” Ingemi says. “I do think we provide hope that recovery is possible.”
This article was supported by Project Embrace, a maternal health program from The Cooperative, a New Jersey nonprofit. Public Good News retains full editorial control over its reporting.