Investigating Substance Misuse in Pregnancy in a Combined Trust
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An epidemiological study to investigate alcohol and drug misuse during pregnancy in the Ipswich area to facilitate standardisation of investigative procedures across a combined Trust.
IRAS ID
307841
Contact name
Catherine Street
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 14 days
Research summary
The use of harmful drugs and alcohol during pregnancy is a significant problem. Drugs and alcohol can cross the placenta and affect the developing baby. When the baby is born, the drug supply is cut off causing withdrawal symptoms (referred to as neonatal abstinence syndrome) such as high-pitched crying, poor-feeding, fits and even death of the baby. Alcohol use during pregnancy also affects foetal development, increasing the risk of miscarriage, post-birth withdrawal and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders which include birth defects and impaired mental, physical and behavioural development.
It is hard to identify new-borns exposed to drugs during pregnancy because withdrawal symptoms can take several days to develop, by which time mother and baby may have been discharged and urine drug levels may be too low to detect. Currently, pregnant women only have their urine tested for drugs if there is suspicion of misuse, or a past history of drug misuse; but this is dependent on pregnant women admitting to drug use, which is rare. Detecting alcohol misuse also relies on women self-reporting as local clinics do not have a method of screening for alcohol, meaning alcohol misuse during pregnancy is often hidden and likely underestimated.
This study aims to estimate how many pregnant women in the Ipswich area are misusing drugs and/or alcohol; determine the accuracy of the current drug-screening method used in clinics compared to laboratory methods; compare the different drug-screening methods used across Trust sites and implement the best method to ensure consistency of care. The study will also investigate if it is possible to screen for alcohol use during pregnancy. To enable this, routine urine samples provided at antenatal clinics will be collected with all patient details removed so testing results cannot be traced to the patient; each sample will be tested using local screening and laboratory methods.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0177
Date of REC Opinion
27 May 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion