Flagyl linked to premature birth

A new study conducted in the UK and reported by the [BBC] has found that the antibiotic Flagyl (metronidazole) that is commonly prescribed to pregnant women who are at risk of delivering their babies prematurely may in fact be harming those women and their unborn babies.

The drug was also used in about one in every 200 women to treat a condition called bacterial vaginosis.

A new study was conducted at Tommy's, a baby charity in the UK. Reported in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, "The trial identified 900 women over a period of 4½ years who were believed to be at risk of early delivery. At 23 to 24 weeks gestation, the women were given a week's course of either the drug or a placebo. In the placebo group, 39% of the women went on to have pre-term deliveries. In the drug group, however, 62% of the women had pre-term deliveries."

The Professor of Obstetrics and the author of the report advises pregnant women and medical professionals to study the results ot this clinical trial "to help lower the number of premature births and save more babies."

According to statistics from Tommy's, about 1,000 births per year in the UK may be at risk for premature birth due to adverse reactions from Flagyl.

In the US, Flagyl (Metronidazole) is commonly prescribed for vaginal infections and is also used in treating colon infection.