About this webinar:

The use of prescribed opioid analgesics has increased globally over the past two decades, extending from the general population to pregnant women. While these medicines play a vital role in pain management, their growing use during pregnancy presents a clinical challenge due to ongoing uncertainties surrounding their safety for both women and their infants. This seminar presented real-world data on global trends in opioid analgesic use during pregnancy and examined the safety of these medicines in this critical period.

About this speaker:

Bianca Varney is a postdoctoral researcher working part-time at NDARC and the School of Population Health, UNSW. She recently submitted her PhD in December of 2024, which she completed at the School of Population Health. As an emerging pharmacoepidemiologist, she specializes in using real-world data to understand the use and risks of prescription opioids in women of reproductive age, pregnant women, and postpartum women. Her goal is to generate high-quality evidence to inform policy and help women and their doctors make informed decisions about their health.