Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41491430›Full record

ArticleArchives of women's mental health2026

Postpartum retention in opioid agonist treatment for opioid dependence: A population-based cohort study.

Joanna Zhou, Bianca Varney, Nicola Jones, Chrianna Bharat, Louisa Degenhardt, Alys Havard, Duong Thuy Tran

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of women's mental health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Joanna ZhouNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Bianca VarneyNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Nicola JonesNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Chrianna BharatNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Louisa DegenhardtNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Alys HavardNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Duong Thuy TranNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Danielle.Tran@unsw.edu.au.

Funding

TRANSFORM - Transforming the evidence base on estimating prevalence of opioid use disorder and expanded access to interventions to prevent drug related deaths: an international data linkage studyR01DA059822 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES · PI Joshua Adam Barocas, Louisa Degenhardt · 2024 to 2026
$2.3M
NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA059822
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOpioid agonist treatment (OAT) is the first-line treatment for opioid dependence during pregnancy and recommended for at least one year postpartum or until a strong maternal-infant bond and stable family environment is established. Evidence on postpartum OAT retention is limited. We examined retention rates and associated maternal characteristics.

methodsWe linked OAT prescription authority to perinatal, mortality, and other data sources. We identified all opioid-dependent women who gave birth in New South Wales, Australia (1 January 2004-31 March 2020) while receiving OAT. We defined retention at 90, 180, and 365 days postpartum as continuous treatment over each period. We calculated retention rates and used generalised linear modelling to examine association between retention and maternal socio-demographic and clinical factors.

resultsThere were 3933 childbirths among 2514 women on OAT. Retention rates were 93.3% (n = 3670) at 90 days, 88.4% (n = 3475) at 180 days, and 78.5% (n = 3086) at 365 days. Retention at 180 days was lower for those who gave birth after 2015, were Indigenous, had recent conviction or incarceration, initiated OAT after conception, received buprenorphine, or had a mental illness. We observed similar association patterns at 90 and 365 days.

conclusionsAmong women on OAT at childbirth, postpartum treatment retention was high but varied across subgroups. Lower retention among women who initiated OAT late in pregnancy or with social or clinical risk factors highlights the need for targeted support. Lower buprenorphine retention warrants ongoing monitoring and tailored care, particularly in settings where it is the preferred treatment during pregnancy.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersPostpartum PeriodPregnancy ComplicationsAdultCohort StudiesFemaleHumansNew South WalesPregnancyYoung AdultAnalgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineOpioid agonist treatmentOpioid dependencePostpartumRetentionRetrospective cohort studySocio-demographic determinants

Identifiers

PMID41491430
PMCPMC12769642

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.