Q: I delivered a baby girl last year by a c-section. This was my second delivery after 2001. During my second pregnancy, I took Dubagest 200 mg from 4th week to 15th week. I also took Origin intra muscular injection (once a week). Doctor advised me to take these because after my first delivery, I had 2 D & Cs. Do Dubagest and Origin have any side effect on my child. A doctor once told me that 1 child in 1 lakh females, might get vaginal cancer by using this medicine. Is it true? I am scared.

A:Dubagest is the brand name of a hormonal medicine called progesterone. This product is indicated in women trying to conceive if there is proven, documented deficiency of the progesterone hormone (during luteal phase). Once conception has taken place, progesterone hormone is indicated only in pregnancies due to assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF, etc. or in cases of habitual abortion (repeated miscarriages), not due to DNC. Misuse and overuse of progesterone can lead to a number of side effects including fetal death and spontaneous abortion (more so in the first three months of gestation), masculanisation of female fetus (such as unwanted hair on face), birth defects in babies such as cleft palate and heart defects. Therefore in the United States, the use of progesterone during known or suspected pregnancy is banned. Unfortunately due to aggressive promotion by drug companies, progesterone products are being used as if they are tonics. During pregnancy, one should take the most minimal mandatory medicines such as folic acid 5mg daily (such as Folet). If there is anaemia, then one should take an iron preparation along with folic acid (such as Probofex), one capsule a day.