CDC Report Links Opioid Pain Killers Increased Risk of Birth Defects

Results released from a study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicated a link between birth defects and mothers who took opiod pain killers. The report showed that painkillers such as codeine, oxycodone or hydrocodone, when taken just prior to, or during the early stages of pregnancy put the child at an increased risk of birth defects.

The women in the study who were prescribed opiods had twice the risk, as women who were not, for having a baby with one of the most critical heart defects known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Other defects linked in the study were, spina bifida, hydrocephaly, congenital glaucoma, gastroschisis as well as several types of congenital heart defects.

“It’s important to acknowledge that although there is an increased risk for some types of major birth defects from an exposure to opioid analgesics, that absolute risk for any individual woman is relatively modest,” said the study’s lead author, Cheryl S. Broussard, Ph.D., CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “However, with very serious and life threatening birth defects like hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the prevention of even a small number of cases is very important.

In what has been one of the largest population-based studies of its kind, with ten states participating, health professionals will eventually be able to use results from this ongoing study to help determine the benefits and risks of various medications for women who are or may become pregnant.