Hepatitis C cases among pregnant women increased dramatically since the U.S. opioid epidemic began, according to a study published in the July JAMA Network Open. Researchers examined over 70 million hospital admissions for women who gave birth or experienced a spontaneous abortion from 1998 to 2018. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) increased 16-fold overall, ranging from a threefold increase among women ages 41 to 50 years to a 31-fold increase among women ages 21 to 30 years. The authors note that the increased rate of HCV infection in the latter group accelerated significantly from 2010 to 2013, coinciding with the increased use of heroin during the second wave of the opioid epidemic. Maternal HCV infection is associated with multiple negative outcomes for mother and infant, including gestational hypertension, preterm labor, and fetal distress. The researchers state that the findings support the recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' recommendation for universal HCV screening during pregnancy.