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Claims of misoprostol use based on blood sampling should be viewed with skepticism
Author(s) -
Frye Laura J.,
Winikoff Beverly,
Meckstroth Karen
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.08.006
Subject(s) - misoprostol , medicine , scrutiny , skepticism , abortion , scarcity , obstetrics , products of conception , blood sampling , intensive care medicine , pregnancy , law , philosophy , genetics , epistemology , political science , economics , biology , microeconomics
Efforts to prosecute women for induced abortion have included allegations that misoprostol was found in body fluids. These claims, however, are questionable owing to the timing of specimen collection for accurate results, the scarcity and expense of validated assays, and the onerous lab procedures required to determine the presence of the substance. Adequate scrutiny should be applied each time such a claim is made.