title: Use of prescription medicines in Australian women of child-bearing age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to examine current utilisation of prescribed medicines amongst Australian women of child-bearing age, with a particular focus on the extent of use of medicines in Category D and X risk groups, which are moderate and high risk teratogens, respectively. The use of those medicines may pose risk of birth defects in pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken involving all women of child-bearing age (15 to 44 years) who were dispensed medicines in 2013 using the 10% random sample of dispensing data from the Australian Government Department of Human Services. Dispensing patterns were reported by medicine, therapeutic class, pregnancy risk category and women's age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over one-third of women aged 15 to 44 years received at least one prescribed medicine in 2013. Psychoanaleptics, antibiotics and analgesics were the top three classes. Around 9% of all dispensings were for medicines from risk category D, with statins, agents acting on renin-angiotensin system, and some anti-epileptic agents being the most commonly used. Both statins and agents acting on renin-angiotensin system showed increasing use with age, estimated to be 35,600 women nationally for each group. Collectively between 2% and 4% of women used anti-epileptics from risk category D in each year of age, with overall use estimated to be 51,000 women nationally. Below 1% of all dispensings were for category X medicines, mainly isotretinoin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important for medical practitioners to offer counselling around pregnancy planning and the risk of birth defects when prescribing moderate or high risk teratogens to women in child-bearing age. For the antihypertensives and some anti-epileptics, alternative medicines with lower risk categorization are available.
authors.affiliation: Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute, School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Svetla.gadzhanova@unisa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Svetla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gadzhanova
authors.affiliation: Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute, School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Elizabeth.Roughead@unisa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roughead
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001723:Birth Rate; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D064793:Teratogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs