Cytotec: Dangerous experiment or panacea?

Tue, 11 Jul 2000 19:00:00 +0000

On Nov. 12, 1998, a week before her sixth baby was due, Holly's nurse-midwife agreed to induce her labor. While there were no medical reasons for induction -- one of Holly's five daughters had weighed 9 pounds 4 ounces and had been born after only five minutes -- the nurse-midwife contends that Holly complained of being tired of being pregnant. Before consenting to the induction, Holly's midwife says, she asked one of the obstetricians in her group practice if Holly would be a good candidate to try a new induction drug. He approved the prescription.

Holly disputes her midwife's story, asserting that the midwife recommended induction against Holly's better judgment. "My body was made to have babies," she told me. With five vaginal births to her credit, Holly had confidence in her ability to labor.

Whatever the truth, both parties agree that over the next several hours the nurse-midwife gave Holly three 25-microgram doses of Cytotec. (Because of legal considerations, both parties requested anonymity.) What Holly didn't know and the midwife never told her was that it was an unapproved drug with potentially disastrous side effects.

Salon.com > Ina May Gaskin

Cytotec: Dangerous experiment or panacea?