Abstract
ALTHOUGH the use of the contraceptive pill carries a slight risk, it is generally felt that the harmful side effects are outweighed by the benefit of avoiding unwanted pregnancies. Following the thalidomide tragedy, there is a wider appreciation of the risk of substances taken during pregnancy injuring the foetus. As we now have a direct method of studying the action of drugs on the foetal heart1, we felt that it was advisable to see whether a pregnant woman who started taking the pill would jeopardize her foetus.
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References
Armstrong, S. R., and Longmore, D. B., Nature, 243, 350 (1973).
Wildenthal, K. J., Am. J. Physiol., 221, 238 (1971).
Hughes, D. M., and Longmore, D. B., Nature, 235, 334 (1972).
Nagler, J., and Longmore, D. B., Nature, 242, 197 (1973).
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HASSAN, M., LONGMORE, D. Effects of Contraceptive Pill Constituents on Foetal Mouse Hearts. Nature 244, 349–351 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/244349b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/244349b0
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