Interactions

During the first pregnancy (1987), when contractions started at 34 weeks, my doctor put me on bed rest and occasionally "prescribed" orange juice and vodka when the contractions recurred. I delivered about a week past my due date.

During my second pregnancy (1991), contractions started at about 29 weeks, so I got mag sulfate for 48 hours. It was the worst I have ever felt. They were monitoring my blood pressure so that I wouldn't die. The day they stopped it, a fairly insensitive young resident took a phone call in my room where he told the caller that he had had to "mag" a woman the night before. It sounded like the report of a "mugging" to me.

Anyway, I was referred to a high-risk OB, who put me on the drug terbutaline with a monitor. I spent several nights in the hospital, always under threat of being placed in the Trendelenburg (head down) position if things got out of hand. After 11 weeks of bed rest, I delivered my son fairly near his due date.

I don't know what would have happened without the mag sulfate, but I suspect that in my case, I would have done fine with just the terbutaline. I hope that the new findings will spare more women from the effects of mag sulfate.

Marie K. McElderry

Arlington

I read the article with more than passing interest.