Terbutaline is a generic version of the name-brand drugs Brethine and Bricanyl. It is commonly used "off label" to stop pre-term labor, prolong pregnancy and prevent premature birth. About 1 million women are treated with terbutaline and related drugs every year for this purpose. Terbutaline is actually an asthma drug and it’s use to control pre-term labor is highly controversial. Some medical professionals contend that the drug is dangerous while others say it is no more effective at prolonging labor than a placebo. The US Food and Drug Administration has not approved uses of terbutaline for anything other than controlling asthma. Several recent studies have raised concerns that the drug may have a profound, negative impact on an unborn baby’s brain development because it can cause overstimulation of certain brain activity. This overstimulation could lead to autism, particularly in twins. Further, the study’s findings suggest that exposure to drugs like…
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Terbutaline linked to autism
August 10, 2010Infertility Treatments Tied to Higher Birth Defect Risk
June 17, 2010The risk of birth defects seems to be twice as high in babies conceived via fertility treatment, versus babies conceived naturally, writes Reuters, citing French scientists. Researchers say physicians should warn potential parents of the risk of birth abnormalities when assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment is used. ART includes a variety of infertility treatment methods such as vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), said Reuters. “We found a major congenital malformation in 4.24 percent of the (ART) children,” said clinical geneticist Geraldine Viot, of the Maternity Port Royal hospital in Paris, quoted Reuters. Viot’s findings were presented to a conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Stockholm. According to Viot, the incidence of malformation is twice the rate seen in the general population. Viot’s team surveyed 33 French fertility clinics and reviewed data from all ART births from 2003 to 2007 for a total of 15,162…
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Family awarded $9.5M medical malpractice settlement for boy with cerebral palsy
April 28, 2010An Illinois family has agreed to a $9.5M medical malpractice settlement after mediation with an Illinois hospital, nurse midwife and the nurse’s employer after she claimed that her son’s birth injury, resulting in cerebral palsy, was caused by negligence. The woman filed a cerebral palsy lawsuit claiming her son was deprived of oxygen during the birth process which caused a brain injury. According to her lawsuit, the nurse midwife was required to have a sponsoring physician on call but her sponsoring physician was away and she did not call another physician in to the case. The child, who is now 14, has a permanent disability which requires lifetime care. In the settlement, the hospital has greed to pay $7.5 million. The doctor and midwife will each pay $1 million as part of the settlement. Cerebral palsy can be caused by the lack of oxygen at birth which can cause permanent…
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