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HCV testing and postpartum treatment gaps persist among pregnant women with opioid use disorder
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Aug 18 2026
Among pregnancies with HCV testing or diagnostic codes, 55.8% had a hepatitis C diagnosis, reflecting a high burden of infection in this population.
Key Takeaways
Among 5,533 pregnancies in women with OUD, 27.2% had no HCV testing or diagnostic code despite national universal screening recommendations.
Only 9.7% of women with a detectable HCV viral load received a direct-acting antiviral prescription within one year postpartum across 5 clinical sites.
Receiving medication for OUD during pregnancy was associated with higher rates of HCV testing, suggesting MAT settings as a key access point for integrated HCV care.
In April 2020, the CDC updated its guidance to recommend HCV testing during each pregnancy, except in settings where HCV prevalence falls below 0.1%, moving away from the prior risk-factor-based approach that had proven difficult to apply consistently. ACOG subsequently recommended HCV screening at the first prenatal visit. Early diagnosis during pregnancy allows for antenatal specialist referral to discuss postpartum treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), which are recommended for all non-pregnant individuals aged 3 years and older, and enables prerequisite testing, co-infection screening for HIV and syphilis, and vaccination for hepatitis A and B as indicated, the study authors noted.
https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/hcv-testing-postpartum-treatment-gaps-pregnant-women-oud
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