Perspectives among women receiving medications for opioid use disorder: Implications for development of a peer navigation intervention to improve access to family planning services

Background Studies have consistently found high rates of unintended pregnancy among women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Few interventions have been developed to specifically engage and address the family planning (FP) needs of women in substance use disorder treatment. Objectives: Our goal was to collect formative qualitative data to identify the FP experiences, needs and service preferences of women receiving medications for OUD and to use these data to develop a FP education and navigation intervention that could be tested in diverse, resource-limited treatment settings. Methods: From August 2016 to April 2017, we conducted 21 guided qualitative interviews with women from two outpatient treatment clinics in Denver, Colorado. We recorded, transcribed, and coded all interviews. We then facilitated three focus groups (n = 16) from May to July 2017 to verify or challenge interview themes and to further inform the development of the FP intervention. Results: Most participants expressed ambivalence or low perceived risk regarding unintended pregnancy and desired more information about contraceptive methods. Many participants described mistrust or lack of engagement in the medical system and histories of trauma were a common barrier to seeking services. Focus group participants endorsed a peer-led FP navigation intervention and provided feedback to tailor existing FP educational materials to fit the specific needs of women in recovery. Conclusions/Importance: Results from this qualitative study suggest that women in recovery from OUD have unique, unmet FP education and service needs. These findings provide important information for the development of feasible and acceptable FP service delivery within diverse, resource-limited treatment settings and informed the development of a trauma-informed, peer-led FP education and navigation intervention that would be implemented in a subsequent phase of the study.