title: Claims of misoprostol use based on blood sampling should be viewed with skepticism.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Gynuity Health Projects, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: Lfrye@gynuity.org.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.affiliation: Gynuity Health Projects, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winikoff
authors.affiliation: Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meckstroth
mesh_terms: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal / Q000032:analysis*; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019963:Clinical Chemistry Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D016595:Misoprostol / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D016595:Misoprostol
keywords: Abortion; Blood sampling; Detection; Misoprostol; Prosecution; Serum; Urine