They are wary of taking medications during pregnancy, but there are medications that not only do not harm in the early stages, but also allow the baby to be safely carried. One of them is Duphaston. This medicine is considered safe for the fetus and is most often prescribed to expectant mothers in the first months of pregnancy. And the main reason for its use during this period is the threat of interruption.
Features of the drug
The medicine is represented by rounded convex tablets with a dense white shell. On their surface, you can see the risk at which the drug, if necessary, is divided into halves. Dyufaston is sold by prescription in cardboard boxes containing from 20 to 112 tablets. The average price of a small pack (one blister with 20 tablets) is 500-600 rubles.
The action of the medication is provided by a substance called dydrogesterone. Its amount in each tablet is 10 mg. Among the additional components of the drug are hypromellose, corn starch, lactose in the form of monohydrate and other compounds. The storage of such a medicine should be at room temperature and moderate humidity. FROMrock shelf life of tablets - 5 years.
Act
The therapeutic effects of "Duphaston" are due to the similarity of its active ingredient with natural progesterone - a hormone that is normally synthesized in a woman's body by the corpus luteum. This hormone is released during the 2nd phase of the menstrual cycle, as well as during pregnancy, helping to conceive and carry a child successfully.
Since the properties and structure of such compounds are very similar, dydrogesterone is able to replace progesterone. And therefore, taking Duphaston helps to ensure a sufficient level of progesterone, if this hormonal substance is in short supply for some reason. This action of the drug is in demand both during pregnancy and in infertility caused by a lack of progesterone.
After entering the body, dydrogesterone acts on the lining of the uterus. Thanks to the changes caused by it, the ovum is safely implanted and the pregnancy develops normally. The drug is used to maintain normal hormonal levels, which should be in the first trimester, which ensures the development of pregnancy and protects against early miscarriage.
The main positive characteristics of "Duphaston" include:
- no negative consequences after taking in the first trimester;
- onset of action 2 hours after ingestion;
- neutral effect on the digestive tract;
- lack of teratogenic effects (the drug does not provoke serious malformations).
Dydrogesterone is excreted mainly with the help of the kidneys, leaving the female body within three days from the moment of administration.
Why is it prescribed early?
As already noted, "Duphaston" is often prescribed for pregnant women in the first trimester in order to maintain pregnancy if there is a threat of miscarriage due to a sharp drop in progesterone levels. Usually, this condition is manifested by hypertonicity of the uterus, when a woman feels a pulling or aching pain in the navel or slightly below it. The threat of interruption can also be indicated by the appearance of bloody discharge, the cause of which is the detachment of the ovum.
To stop such a pathological process, the expectant mother is hospitalized and a synthetic hormone is prescribed. It is drunk according to a special scheme that allows you to quickly eliminate the risk of miscarriage and reduce uncomfortable symptoms, and then carefully cancel it, reducing the dosage. The drug is often taken up to 16 weeks, until the placenta is completely formed (further, the synthesis of progesterone occurs in it), but some women need to drink it until 20–23 weeks or cancel even later.
The need for a longer use of "Duphaston" should be determined by the doctor.
The drug is prescribed not only for threatening abortion, when a woman has hypertonicity or bloody smear, but also in a number of other cases.
- If the expectant mother has endometriosis or is diagnosed with uterine fibroids. In such diseases, "Duphaston" will help to better fix the embryo, prevent the contraction of the walls of the uterus and prevent bleeding.
- If the patient cannot become pregnant due to a lack of progesterone in the 2nd phase of the menstrual cycle. In such a situation, the intake of a synthetic hormone is prescribed even before conception from the 14th to the 25th day of the cycle, and if pregnancy has occurred, then the medication continues throughout the first trimester.
- If a woman is preparing for an IVF procedure. Prophylactic reception of "Duphaston" will help the embryos to implant safely and ensure the development of pregnancy after replanting.
How to use?
The drug is prescribed only after examination and examination, since therapy for different conditions is different. For example, if a woman was diagnosed with a threat of miscarriage, then "Duphaston" is often used according to the following scheme:
- in the first dose, the expectant mother should drink 4 tablets at the same time, that is, receive 40 mg of dydrogesterone;
- then continue taking 1 tablet with an interval of 8 hours until the signs of threatened abortion disappear;
- after that, the medicine is taken in an effective dosage (selected individually) for another 7 days;
- then the medication is gradually canceled, reducing the daily dose, but with the resumption of negative symptoms, Duphaston is taken again in the dosage at which there were no signs of threat (it is called effective).
If in the past a woman had problems with gestation, which led to a miscarriage, "Duphaston" is prescribed even before conception and canceled only after the 20th week. In such a situation, the drug is taken twice a day, one tablet. In case of IVF pregnancy, taking Duphaston is recommended until the 10th week at a dosage of 30 mg per day. These are only approximate terms indicated by the manufacturer in the instructions, therefore, the duration of use for each individual pregnant woman may differ and is determined by her attending physician.
The tablet should be swallowed with a small amount of still water. The diet does not affect the time of admission, so it is permissible to drink the drug both after meals and on an empty stomach.
How can I cancel?
Once again, we note that it is impossible to abruptly stop taking Dufaston. This can lead to increased uterine tone, vaginal bleeding and miscarriage. It is important to ask your obstetrician-gynecologist how to discontinue the medication correctly, but it is standard practice to reduce the dosage by 5 mg (half a tablet) once a week.
Sometimes, if the pregnant woman takes rather high dosages, then the reduction involves the abolition of the whole pill. On average, it takes 3 weeks to stop taking the drug.
After the first dose reduction, you need to carefully monitor any changes in the condition of the expectant mother. If the tone of the uterus has increased, spotting bleeding has begun, or other symptoms of a threat of miscarriage have appeared, you should return to the dosage of "Duphaston" that was before the start of drug withdrawal.
What else to consider when receiving?
- Like any drug, Duphaston has certain contraindications. This is an increased sensitivity to its components, and severe liver pathologies, and problems with the absorption of carbohydrates. That is why the doctor should prescribe this medication, individually selecting the required dosage and scheme of use.
- Some women experience various undesirable effects while taking pills, including headaches, skin rashes of an allergic nature, swelling, chest pains, and nausea. Sometimes the drug also causes dangerous side effects, for example, it affects the functioning of the liver, provokes hemolysis or severe allergies. Such manifestations require a medical examination and the cancellation of "Duphaston".
- Do not exceed the dose of the medicine. Although there were no situations when an overdose of a medication caused any dangerous consequences, it is necessary to take "Duphaston" in the dosage determined by the specialist. Taking an increased dose may cause nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, or vomiting.
- Although the instructions for the tablets indicate that they are compatible with most other drugs, when using any other treatment, it is worth checking the possibility of simultaneous administration with your doctor.
Reviews
The use of "Duphaston" in the early stages of pregnancy is generally responded positively. The drug is called effective, noting that it helps to maintain pregnancy and rarely causes negative reactions. The disadvantages of tablets are usually attributed to their high cost and the need for long-term use, but given the effectiveness, most women consider the high price to be justified.
In some negative reviews, they complain of allergies and other side effects, because of which they had to refuse to take.
What to replace?
One of the most famous analogues of Dufaston is Utrozhestan. Such a medicine in capsules with a dosage of 100 and 200 mg is also prescribed with a lack of progesterone, because its main component is a micronized hormone. The drug is in demand with a high risk of miscarriage and premature birth.
If a woman has early toxicosis, the capsules can be inserted into the vagina. The disadvantages of "Utrozhestan" include frequent side effects, which are noted by many pregnant women: lethargy, drowsiness, mood deterioration, and so on. In addition, the list of contraindications to treatment with such a remedy is much larger than that of "Duphaston".
For more information about the peculiarities of taking the drug "Duphaston" during pregnancy, see the following video.
