Home / Health / Millions of Pregnant Women Denied Safe Medicine Info
Millions of Pregnant Women Denied Safe Medicine Info
13 Jan
Summary
- Over 90% of medications lack pregnancy testing, leaving women with difficult choices.
- WHO is initiating a major effort to improve drug testing protocols for pregnant women.
- The Thalidomide tragedy in the 1950s-60s led to current, albeit flawed, drug safety regulations.
A significant gap exists in medical knowledge, leaving over 90% of medications untested in pregnancy. This forces millions of women worldwide into a difficult position: forgo essential treatments or take them with uncertain consequences for their babies. The World Health Organization is spearheading a generational change, initiating a collaborative effort with scientists, doctors, and drug developers to improve drug testing protocols for pregnant women.
The current situation is rooted in the Thalidomide scandal of the 1950s and 1960s, where a drug given for morning sickness caused severe birth defects. This led to stringent drug safety regulations but also created a climate of fear, systematically excluding pregnant women from trials. While modern scientific understanding allows for safer testing methodologies, the legacy of this tragedy continues to impact maternal healthcare, creating anxiety for both patients and providers.
