Duphaston is a medication available in the market and most pharmacies in Malaysia. This medication is also available online on online pharmacies websites. Duphaston is a common medication that contains dydrogesterone. Dydrogesterone is a hormone that is taken to aid the existing hormone in the body in certain medical conditions. Duphaston also contains other ingredients that are known as excipients. Excipients are additional substances that are needed to stabilize the active ingredient. The excipients in Duphaston are lactose monohydrate, colloidal anhydrous silica, hypromellose, maize starch, magnesium stearate. Duphaston is used in pregnancy mainly to treat or prevent abortion. A threatened or recurrent abortion that is due to low progesterone hormone will need hormone therapy such as Duphaston. The aim is to support and save the pregnancy. The use of this medication may help to prevent abortion from happening.
Dydrogesterone is also used to treat other conditions such as:
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Dysmenorrhoea
- Secondary amenorrhoea
- Endometriosis
- Infertility
- Menopause
- Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
These medications should not be used in those with tumour related to progesterone, undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, and allergy towards the active ingredient or the excipients. You should get advice from a qualified and registered physician before taking Duphaston, especially during pregnancy. Pregnancy is a critical phase where two lives exist and live as one. Both baby and mother are directly related to one another in many aspects such as dietary and well-being. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is an alarming symptom or state. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy can be due to many possible medical conditions. A careful assessment by a medical doctor is needed to establish a diagnosis or to detect the cause. History taking, physical examination, and investigations or tests are necessary to help a physician in not only detecting the cause but also in treating the patient.
History taking is when a doctor will talk to the patient to explore more about the symptoms, the previous pregnancy history, past medical history, past surgical history, food allergy, allergy towards any medications, and the progress of the current pregnancy. A physical examination will require a patient to be examined by a doctor and some tests will be done later to confirm the cause of vaginal bleeding in pregnancy. If vaginal bleeding happened during pregnancy, do not panic and call for help to bring you or your spouse to see a doctor. The possible causes of vaginal bleeding in the first trimester are:
- Trauma
- Implantation of the product of conception
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Early pregnancy loss or abortion
- Diseases of the reproductive tract
The following are causes of vaginal bleeding in the second and third trimester:
- Vasa Previa
- Abruptio placenta
- Placenta previa
- Rupture of the uterus (rare)
What is a threatened miscarriage? It is a condition where there is vaginal bleeding in pregnancy, but the pregnancy is not yet ended or the baby is still viable. Other than vaginal bleeding, patients may develop pain in the abdomen and abdominal cramps. In some cases, the bleeding just stops and the pregnancy progresses normally. In some other cases, a threatened miscarriage will cause pregnancy loss. Tests that can be done are doppler ultrasound, ultrasound, and hCG test. Ultrasound or Doppler ultrasound are imaging modalities that use sound waves to visualize the internal body structure. Both can detect fetal heartbeats and see whether the pregnancy is viable or not. The test for hCG (a pregnancy hormone) can give an idea of whether the pregnancy is still viable or not. If the pregnancy is still viable, the patient will be put under observation in the ward, and the decision to use medication like Duphaston will be made later if it is needed. If the pregnancy is no longer viable, removal of the product of conception may be required.
