What kind of medication is used for preserving a pregnancy?
Feb 28, 2023
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Chen Zhe
Introduction
There are many types of medications commonly used in clinical practice for fetal preservation, broadly categorized into Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Western medicines generally include progesterone preparations, vitamin E, folic acid, and oxytocin receptor antagonists. Traditional Chinese medicines typically include dodder seed (Cuscuta chinensis), mulberry fruit, white atractylodes, and Chinese yam. In addition to these common drugs, ritodrine hydrochloride tablets and magnesium sulfate injection also have tocolytic effects.
There are many commonly used medications for maintaining pregnancy in clinical practice, generally divided into Western medicines such as progestogens, vitamin E soft capsules, folic acid tablets, oxytocin receptor antagonists, and traditional Chinese medicines such as Cuscuta (Tu Si Zi), mulberry fruit (Sang Shen Zi), Atractylodes (Bai Zhu), and yam (Shan Yao). The details are as follows:
I. Western Medicines
1. Progestogen preparations: Commonly used progestogens include progesterone capsules and progesterone injections, typically prescribed when progesterone levels are low during early pregnancy. These drugs can reduce uterine sensitivity and help stabilize the pregnancy.
2. Vitamin E soft capsules and folic acid tablets: Vitamin supplements such as vitamin E soft capsules and folic acid tablets are also commonly used to support pregnancy and promote fetal growth and development. They help enhance the secretion of estrogen and progesterone in pregnant women, prevent congenital neural tube defects in the fetus, and contribute to fetal development and pregnancy maintenance.
3. Oxytocin receptor antagonists: Atosiban acetate injection effectively suppresses uterine contractions, significantly prolongs gestation, and is well tolerated by the mother.
II. Traditional Chinese Medicines
Commonly used Chinese herbal medicines for supporting pregnancy include Cuscuta (Tu Si Zi), mulberry fruit (Sang Shen Zi), Atractylodes (Bai Zhu), and yam (Shan Yao). Pregnant women may also take donkey-hide gelatin (E Jiao) under the guidance of a licensed TCM practitioner to nourish blood and qi and stabilize the pregnancy.
In addition to the above commonly used medications, other drugs such as ritodrine hydrochloride tablets and magnesium sulfate injection also have tocolytic effects. Given the wide variety of medications available for maintaining pregnancy, pregnant women should not self-medicate at home, as inappropriate use may lead to drug side effects or fetal malformations. It is strongly recommended to use these medications only under the supervision of a physician.
