AUSTIN, Texas – A newly standardized pain treatment plan for pregnant women delivering in hospitals reduced mothers’ opioid use before and after delivery and may reduce their risk of opioid addiction later, according to a study published in the latest issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology . The study of 14,419 women delivering in Central Texas hospitals showed that the chances of receiving an opioid for pain control after giving birth vaginally decreased by 26%. Among those experiencing cesarean birth, the risk dropped 18%. For new moms who did receive opioids, the amount of opioids they received declined 30% with the new pain protocol. “Over these last two decades opioid use among women increased dramatically in the U.S., and overprescribing is at the heart of the problem,” said Rebecca G. Rogers , M.D., the study’s lead author, associate chair of clinical integration and operations, and professor in the Department of […]