A recent survey has found that a third of women across Europe have taken more than one medication during their pregnancy. In addition, the ‘Perceptions of Pregnancy’ survey initiated by Safe Motherhood Week found that over 94 per cent of women surveyed did not have a trouble-free pregnancy experience. The report surveyed over 3,270 women across seven countries in Europe.…
Category: perceptions
The future of pregnancy and medication
Lode Dewulf has studied and practiced medicine and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years. Outspoken on the rights of pregnant women to receive information and treatment, Dr. Dewulf took part in the recent European Gender Medicine Network (EUGenMed) Sex and Gender conference at the at the European Economic and Social Commission, giving a talk entitled “Safe…
Perceptions on pregnancy & medication
Being pregnant can be a challenging time for any woman, but some face more obstacles than others. Around 10% of women face serious medical conditions requiring treatment during pregnancy, yet we are lacking sufficient information about the implications of medication use on mother and child. Because perception and misconceptions have a strong role in this issue, we polled visitors of…
Pregnant moms with diseases shouldn’t have to be brave
What if pregnant women and their doctors didn’t have to be brave to tackle medical conditions or serious diseases during pregnancy? What if fear were replaced by fact? Then every day, pregnant women and their doctors would know enough about their treatment or medication options to make informed decisions. You can help us move these pregnant women from dark to…
Read more > Pregnant moms with diseases shouldn’t have to be brave
Are doctors too afraid to treat pregnant women?
A leading figure in the battle to increase awareness about treating pregnant women, Dr. Gideon Koren believes urgent changes are needed in the field. He is the founder of Motherisk, an organization providing information and counseling on pregnancy and medication, staff pediatrician at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and professor at the University of Toronto. The Pregnancy &…
The stigma of taking medications for sickness in pregnancy
A good friend of mine developed appendicitis at week 17 of her pregnancy. She had an anesthetic, the appendix removed via surgery, and then she was pumped full of both IV and oral painkillers and anti-emetics. At no point during her weeklong stay in the hospital did the staff raise questions about the safety of the medications for the growing…
Read more > The stigma of taking medications for sickness in pregnancy
The information vacuum and challenges to appropriate care
Pregnant women expect quite a bit from their healthcare providers, even more so if they have a disease that requires supervision and treatment. We asked some members of our advisory board what their biggest challenges are when it comes to providing pregnant women with a disease – or those who are planning to get pregnant – the appropriate access to…
Read more > The information vacuum and challenges to appropriate care
