The methadone-maintained pregnancy

Of the available therapeutic options For the management of opiate dependency during pregnancy methadone maintenance, in the context of a program of comprehensive care, best facilitates the provision of medical, psychiatric, and obstetric care, as well as needed concrete services to the pregnant heroine addict. In addition, following heroin dependency, methadone normalizes the intrauterine milieu, promotes fetal stability and optimizes fetal growth. A 30-year clinical experience has shown methadone maintenance to be an invaluable and often essential ingredient of programs that aim to promote an optimal outcome for opiate-complicated pregnancies, and more generally, to improve the lives of opiate-addicted women.