Resumen : In countries such as Brazil, where abortion is prohibited, a range of drugs are used to induce menstruation. The present study investigated the prevalence and clinical correlates of unsuccessful use of drugs given to pregnant women to start menstrual flow. Enrolled were 6102 pregnant women at gestational weeks 21-28 presenting to the prenatal clinics of the Brazilian National Health Care System in 1991-95. 874 women (14.4%) responded affirmatively to the question, "In order to know if you were pregnant, did you take any medication to induce menstrual flow?" The frequency varied from 6-22% among the seven cities included in the study. The most commonly used drugs were herbal teas (41%), estrogens and/or progestogens (30%), and misoprostol (16%). Significant independent predictors of such medication use included unplanned pregnancy (odds ratio (OR), 4.3), low educational attainment (OR, 3.3), absence of husband or male partner (OR, 1.8), 1 or more living children (OR, 1.5), previous induced abortion (OR, 1.4), and current use of oral contraception (OR, 1.4). Herbal tea and misoprostol use were more strongly associated with unplanned pregnancy than medroxyprogesterone acetate; however, most drug use reported for menstrual induction appeared to be intended to avoid a possible pregnancy. Of concern is the effect of these medications and herbs on fetuses in cases where an abortion attempt is unsuccessful.
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