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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

SUD Program Implementation Considerations for Women

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) highlights sex differences in substance use disorders (SUD), noting distinct physical effects of substances on women compared to men, particularly on the heart, blood vessels, and brain. These differences suggest that women may benefit from tailored SUD treatment.

SAMHSA recommends the following considerations for SUD treatment for women:

  • Relational approaches addressing family and partner influences and creating a safe treatment environment.
  • Integration of family and parenting responsibilities into programs, attending to the relevance and influence of the caregiver roles that women often assume.
  • Trauma-informed care with assessment of trauma history.
  • Culturally sensitive approaches that acknowledge the role of socioeconomic issues, including employment, educational status, housing, and income.
  • Approaches that address women's unique health concerns, including distinct risk factors for use and health-related consequences associated with use.
  • Endorsement of a developmental perspective, considering age-specific and other developmental life-course issues.
  • Strengths-based approaches that build on the woman's strengths and use available resources towards resilience and recovery.
  • Integrated and multidisciplinary approaches that integrate knowledge, research, theory, experience, and treatment models from various disciplines.

Special Considerations for Pregnant Women with OUD
Women with OUD who are also pregnant often face barriers to care, including provider hesitancy to prescribe medication. However, research shows that prenatal care can be effectively integrated with OUD treatment. SAMHSA's clinical guidance emphasizes individualized treatment decisions when treating pregnant women with OUD. Rural programs should also adhere to both state and national guidelines to provide safe, evidence-based care.

The Moms Do Care EMPOWER program supports pregnant and postpartum individuals with SUD in rural Massachusetts. It offers trauma-informed medical and behavioral healthcare, peer support, and in-home visits. The program emphasizes care tailored to the unique needs of this population, including breastfeeding support, trauma-informed midwifery, help navigating healthcare systems, and advocacy for child welfare services, and care tailored to co-occurring mental health conditions and culturally sensitive needs.

Resources to Learn More

Alcohol Use Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, and Addiction
Website
Provides information and answers frequently asked questions regarding women and SUD.
Organization(s): U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office on Women's Health

Medication-Assisted Treatment in Pregnancy
Document
Offers information on legislative trends regarding access to MOUD for pregnant women. Includes considerations regarding program implementation, funding for treatment, provider awareness, and future state policy actions.
Organization(s): Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Date: 4/2020