Improving Effective Contraceptive Use Among Opioid-maintained Women

The rate of unintended pregnancy among opioid-dependent women is extremely high: nearly 9 of every 10 pregnant opioid-dependent women report that the current pregnancy was unintended, a rate 2-3 times that of the general population. Despite these dire statistics, there is a dearth of scientific knowledge about contraceptive use in this population and about how to promote use of more effective contraceptives (e.g., birth control pills, IUDs, implants).

The aim of this Stage I Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program application is to develop and pilot test a novel contraceptive management program to increase use of more effective contraceptives among OM women. OM women (N=100) at risk for unintended pregnancy will be randomly assigned to a 6-month contraceptive management program or to usual care. The contraceptive management program will consist of two components: (1) the World Health Organization's contraception protocol and (2) reinforced follow-up visits. At their first visit, participants assigned to the contraceptive management program will complete the WHO's contraception protocol, which consists of assistance choosing a contraceptive method, structured educational counseling about their chosen method, a free supply of this method, and the option of initiating this method immediately. Subsequently, contraceptive management program participants will earn voucher-based incentives to reinforce attendance at follow-up visits where they will receive support to manage side effects and problem-solve compliance problems, refills of their chosen method, and assistance switching methods when indicated. At each visit, contraceptive management program participants will also be counseled about the risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, the need for dual protection (i.e., protection from both pregnancy and STIs), and provided with a supply of condoms. Participants assigned to the usual care condition will be given general information about contraceptive options and contact information for clinics and providers that provide contraceptive services. Contraceptive use by all participants will be evaluated at assessments scheduled 1, 3, and 6 months after trial intake. The impact of prescription contraceptive use on condom use will also be assessed. It is hypothesized that the contraceptive management program will increase effective contraceptive use without decreasing condom use.

The proposed project will be the seminal study of an intervention to increase more effective contraceptive use in OM women and the first step towards our overarching goal of developing an efficacious, empirically based contraceptive management program that can be disseminated to drug treatment facilities throughout the country. The proposed research also holds significant potential for impacting public health in general, as development of efficacious programs will help reduce the vast economic and societal costs associated with unintended pregnancy among drug-dependent and non-drug-dependent women alike.