APP-02 - Green Acres: Pregnancy & Pain in Rural Communities

Pain during pregnancy generally involves musculoskeletal conditions, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, or chronic headache including migraine. For a woman with chronic pain, adequate use of analgesics may be necessary during pregnancy, and it is of the utmost importance to understand the impact the use of analgesic drugs has on the developing fetus. For women with opioid use disorder, many are often untreated or undertreated. This may stem from a fear and misunderstanding of which analgesics are safe. Knowledge about which pharmaceuticals and nonpharmaceutical treatments are safe and effective in pregnancy, or in opioid use disorder, is important for NPs in practices where the care of these women takes place. This session will explore the effects of unmanaged pain on the pregnant female, as well as fetus, and it will provide the audience with a sound, evidenced based approach to safely manage chronic pain in the pregnant female with and without an opioid abuse disorder.