Abstract:
We aimed to describe medication use in pregnancies that resulted in births and abortions. Rates of medication use among women with a pregnancy outcome (2001-2013) were described using the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. Use was determined as > 1 prescription filled during pregnancies that resulted in births (livebirth/stillbirth) and abortions (spontaneous/induced). Rates were calculated at any time during pregnancy and after a pregnancy-related visit. Rates were additionally characterized by risk in pregnancy using Briggs classification (2017). Of 174,848 birth pregnancies, 64.9% filled > 1 prescription during pregnancy and 55.4% filled > 1 prescription after a pregnancy-related visit. Of 71,967 abortions, 44.7% filled > 1 prescription. Only 3.7% of birth pregnancies had ≥1 prescription for a contraindicated medication, whereas 10.8% of abortions filled a prescription for a contraindicated medication. The most common drugs used in pregnancy were amoxicillin, doxylamine, and codeine.
