Misoprostol: A Case Study of Women Taking their Health into their Own Hands

Today I learned about the drug Misoprostol and thought I'd blog about it because I think it is absolutely fascinating. Misoprostol is a drug that is used to induce labor and also treat ulcers, among other conditions. It has been on the market for decades and is approved in most developed countries, as well as every country in South America except Paraguay. In the 1980s, healthcare providers found that Misoprostol was causing unwanted miscarriages among pregnant women that took the drug, so they decided to put labels all over the package that warned pregnant women not to take the drug. In Brazil, a country where abortion is illegal and extremely taboo, women began taking the drug intentionally to give themselves at-home abortions. This provides a fascinating case study of women who take their health and situation into their own hands and find technology before the healthcare providers do. There are few to no side effects of the drug and it is affordable, which is why many organizations are now encouraging distribution on a broad scale to women in developing countries. 

Although Misoprostol is currently only approved by the FDA to treat ulcers, even the official Misoprostol website discusses other benefits of the drug for reproductive health. Check it out here: http://www.misoprostol.org/File/offlabeluse.php.

If you'd like to learn more about Misoprostol, you can join the Misoprostol for Postpartum Hemorrhage Community here:http://knowledge-gateway.org/?zzffz5q87ckrtqc