Pregnancy, obstetrics, breastfeeding, gynaecology

More than 400 pregnant women prescribed topiramate in the past year

NHS data have revealed 430 women were prescribed topiramate and 42 women were prescribed sodium valproate during their pregnancies between April 2021 and March 2022.…

Principles of drug use and management in pregnancy

The principles of prescribing in pregnancy, including the management of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women and role of the obstetric clinical pharmacist.…

Miscarriage: causes, prevention and counselling

Guidance on how pharmacists can provide women with practical advice and support during pregnancy and in the event of a miscarriage.…

MHRA seeking views on the safety of sodium valproate prescribing

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's findings will inform discussions of the Commission on Human Medicines.…

Premature ovarian insufficiency: diagnosis and management

Premature ovarian insufficiency (or failure, as it used to be known) affects around 1% of women aged under 40 years in the UK. Pharmacists should therefore understand its health consequences and be able to advise on the available treatment options.…

A digital approach to improving valproate safety

The development of a virtual dashboard in Surrey has made it possible to identify women taking valproate who are approaching their annual review and highlight those who may need to see their GP.…

Long-acting reversible contraception

How pharmacists can educate patients about long-acting reversible contraception and support their decisions through effective consultations.…

Supported content

OTC painkillers may be associated with increased foetal health risks, study suggests

Babies exposed to over-the-counter analgesics were found to be 1.5 times more likely to experience health issues, although an expert has warned it is "impossible" to confirm whether these were directly caused by the medicines.…

Assessing pharmacy teams’ confidence on the safety of drugs in lactation

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author’s. If you would like to submit a letter to The Pharmaceutical Journal, please click here. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by partial breastfeeding for …

Adherence to low-dose aspirin improves pregnancy outcomes

Researchers have found that close adherence to taking low-dose aspirin daily led to more pregnancies and live births, and fewer pregnancy losses.…