Deaths from postpartum hemorrhage, excessive bleeding by the mother after giving birth, are rare in developed countries like the U.S.  However, the condition can be life-threatening in places where most births occur at home and emergency care may not be available.  Researchers have now found a safe, convenient and inexpensive way to prevent this major killer of women in developing countries.

Postpartum hemorrhage is caused by the uterus failing to contract after the placenta detaches, or by ruptures or tears in the uterus and other tissues.  In developed countries, oxytocin is the standard drug used to prevent postpartum hemorrhage.  But oxytocin needs to be kept cold and to be given by trained medical personnel, so it’s not ideal for use in developing countries.

The drug misoprostol also stops uterine bleeding, but doesn’t require refrigeration and doesn’t have to be given by highly trained personnel.  Researchers from the University of Missouri, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and NIH set out to test whether this inexpensive drug could effectively prevent postpartum hemorrhage in countries where hospital services are in limited supply.

The researchers recruited 25 nurse midwives who serve the rural Indian villages of the Belgaum District in Karnataka State.  They showed the midwives how to use misoprostol and how to measure blood loss following birth using a plastic drape specifically designed for the study.  Women who volunteered to participate received either misoprostol or an identical-looking but inactive “placebo” immediately after they gave birth.

While 12% of the women in the placebo group had serious postpartum hemorrhage, only 6.4% receiving misoprostol did.  Women receiving misoprostol also lost significantly less blood on average.  Side effects included a slight increase in shivering and fever.  The infants of nursing mothers who took misoprostol showed no apparent side effects.

You accidentally slip on a wet bathroom floor, trip on a loose throw rug, or lose your balance on the stairs.  If you or an older person you know has fallen, you’re not alone.  Each year, more than 1.6 million older Americans go to the emergency room for fall-related injuries.  Among older adults, falls are the number one cause of fractures, hospital admissions for trauma, loss of independence and injury-related deaths.  But falls are not an inevitable part of life, even as you get older.

Information about the risks of falling and how to prevent falls has just been added to NIHSeniorHealth (www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov), a joint effort of NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) and National Library of Medicine (NLM).

“Falls can have devastating effects in older people,” says Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of NIA.

In fact, a simple fall can cause a serious fracture of the arm, hand, ankle or hip.  Only half of older adults hospitalized for a broken hip return home or live on their own after the injury.  That’s why prevention is so important.  Information about taking care of your health, reducing hazards at home, exercising and making other lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of falling is now easily accessible on NIHSeniorHealth.

Older Americans increasingly are turning to the Internet for health information.  For the 66% of “wired” seniors who now surf for health and medical information when they go online, NIHSeniorHealth features short, easy-to-read information in a variety of formats, including large-print type sizes, open-captioned videos and even an audio version.

Additional topics coming soon to NIHSeniorHealth include clinical trials, nutrition and skin cancer.  The site also links to MedlinePlus, NLM’s premier, more detailed site for consumer health information.