Posted on 05/16/2009 4:23:47 PM PDT by neverdem
EVERY minute, a woman somewhere in the world dies in childbirth or from complications of pregnancy.
But there is an inexpensive medicine that could save a great many of these women’s lives — misoprostol.
Misoprostol is a generic drug originally developed to treat ulcers, but it’s predominately used off-label for obstetrics. When a mother takes it immediately after delivery, it can effectively stop the leading cause of maternal death in most developing countries: postpartum hemorrhage or excessive bleeding. What’s more, it’s an easy-to-take tablet with a long shelf life, so it’s suitable for the vast majority of women who deliver at home, in remote villages, far from skilled medical care.
Misoprostol can be manufactured for as little as 4 cents a tablet, and in developing countries, a three-tablet dose goes for about a dollar.
Because of its use in abortion, the drug’s availability is limited. However, the abortion debate should not obscure the benefits of its use in safe childbirth. The United Nations has called for a drastic reduction in maternal mortality by 2015...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I wouldn’t trust anything the NYT or the U.N. recommends.
Absolute rubbish. How about a source to this statistic.
I suppose the NYT and the U.N. is preparing us for becoming a third world country:
“When they are about to deliver, Tanzanian mothers often say to their older children, “I’m going to go and fetch the new baby; it is a dangerous journey and I may not return.” I’m eight months pregnant, and dying in childbirth is not something I fear. No mother should.”
Ah, so far the U.S. has the BEST MEDICAL CARE IN THE WORLD. It won’t stay that way due to Obama and other health care sadists ... as they MAKE health care a “scarce resource”.
Obama’s plan is to RESTRICT medical care to those he deems worthy of care and that may NOT include you. It might be your race, age, ethnicity or economic status that excludes you from the care you now receive.
It is a reminder that it is the time to PROTEST, join the tea parties! I just attended my 3rd protest, a RETIRE Sen. Christopher Dodd protest up in Hartford, CT today. It is time to STAND UP to the statists who want socialized medicine.
In a primitive culture where famine and disease are the ONLY thing that controls population growth...what do you think will happen if some gracious super power walks in and instantly removes famine and disease for them?
I think this is a much much more complex issue than people realize. There are serious repercussions.
Are we trying to breed a race of human livestock? If not, then this needs to be figured out.
Misoprostol (marketed as Cytotec) Information
FDA ALERT – Risks of Use in Labor and Delivery
http://www.fda.gov/Cder/drug/infopage/misoprostol/default.htm
This Patient Information Sheet is for pregnant women who may receive misoprostol to soften their cervix or induce contractions to begin labor. Misoprostol is sometimes used to decrease blood loss after delivery of a baby. These uses are not approved by the FDA. No company has sent the FDA scientific proof that misoprostol is safe and effective for these uses.
There can be serious side effects, including a torn uterus (womb), when misoprostol is used for labor and delivery. A torn uterus may result in severe bleeding, having the uterus removed (hysterectomy), and death of the mother or baby. These side effects are more likely in women who have had previous uterine surgery, a previous Cesarean delivery (C-section), or several previous births.
This information reflects FDA’s preliminary analysis of data concerning this drug. FDA is considering, but has not reached a final conclusion about, this information. FDA intends to update this sheet when additional information or analyses become available.
The story may or may not be true. Anything from the Agenda-driven NY Times is highly suspect.
Even if partially true, US doctors put their careers in enormous risk with such an off-label use of the drug, due to the risk of massive lawsuits from from the sleezy John Edwards Trial Lawyer Industry wing of the democrat party, should anything go wrong.
Well, Amy, you hairy-legged Nazi slut, had the Third World use of DDT not been stopped by the eco-fascists whose destruction and hatred you love and have supported the past 40 years, you could have saved the lives of 80 million people in the Third World who died of malaria.
But I don’t expect a blood-sucking Nazi like you would care about women and children in the Third World, you ugly whore.
I hope one day they hang pigs like you for crimes against humanity.
That's the way with the abortion crowd; they dont' care; just so long as they can kill.
Numbers like that really don't need a source.
According to wikipedia, about 529,000 women per year worldwide die as a result of childbirth, which is indeed slightly more than one per minute (525,600/year).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_death
Possibly. However, it is about 35th in maternal mortality rate, well behind such advanced nations as Bosnia and Croatia.
http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/topic.jsp?i=97#table
That would be 1440 women every day. Or roughly 500,000 a year. I think we’d have been plastered with tons of stories about how awful this is if that were true.
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Cool! Thanks!
“n a primitive culture where famine and disease are the ONLY thing that controls population growth...what do you think will happen if some gracious super power walks in and instantly removes famine and disease for them?”
Are you saying that women should die in childbirth, even if it can be easily prevented? I don’t understand your comments.
Misoprostol is effective in reducing post pregnancy hemorrhage and bleeding. There are other drugs that are more effective in treating this condition, but they require more skill in administering and managing. This would probably not ever be a beneficial use in the US, because most babies are born in hospitals where there are plenty of doctors and nurses to monitor and control treatments.
In third world countries, mothers who experience postpartum hemorrhage are likely to die. Administering Misoprostol is effective in preventing about 50% of these deaths. Using it in these locations is a good practice and saves lives. I believe that it is being used in these countries, however, so I am not sure why the author is on this soapbox.
It means they need to figure out their own problems. If someone else solves their problems for them, that someone else will try to exert their will...make demands...tell them what they can and can’t do. It means there will be unintended consequences.
There are unintended consequences in every thing that we do. I don’t think that should prevent us from saving lives when we can.
The reason people in third world countries have so many children is because they know that a large percentage of them will die before they reach adulthood. Helping them to avoid suffering and using our medical knowledge to save lives is absolutely the right thing to do. There are many doctors, nurses, midwives and other medical practitioners that work in these areas trying to help these people achieve a better life. For the most part they do not make demands of them or exert their will. They are there to help, and their help is much appreciated.
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