Early detection of substance use in pregnancy

Use of tobacco, alcohol, addictive medicines, and illegal substances in pregnancy increases the risk of pregnancy complications and temporary and persistent damage to the unborn child. Early detection and intervention may mitigate these adverse effects. The Danish Family Clinics are specialist centres for counselling and treatment of such families at risk. Results from a pilot study indicate that the number of pregnant women, who may benefit from treatment and counselling in the Family Clinics, is underestimated. In this project, we will conduct an anonymous nationwide screening of 3000 pregnant women to detect use of tobacco, alcohol, addictive medicines, and illegal substances. We will use a new, improved dipstick screening supported by validated confirmation analyses. As a new initiative, the dipstick is promising to detect a wider range of relevant substances, but also a small alcohol intake down to two units three days after intake. Also, we will validate all the substance components of the dipstick with confirmation analyses among 200 pregnant women, who are already affiliated to the Family Clinics comprising a known and much higher prevalence of substance use. This study will inform future, national strategies to identify women at risk and therefore may benefit from the support offered by the Family Clinics. The results are important contributions to research within screening for, and treatment of, substance use in the entire population.