Population Council Research that makes a difference

Pre-eclampsia is an illness that women can get when they are pregnant, although its cause remains unknown. If pre-eclampsia progresses, it can cause eclampsia (with convulsions), organ failure, and death. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are the main causes of maternal mortality in Mexico. International evidence has shown that magnesium sulfate is the gold standard for women who suffer from severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia to prevent or treat convulsions. However, magnesium sulfate is not used routinely for women suffering this illness in Mexican public health services.

Therefore, Council researchers conducted four complementary quantitative and qualitative studies on the use of magnesium sulfate: (1) a survey among physicians from Mexico City hospitals; (2) in-depth interviews with key informants; (3) a chart review of women who died from (pre-)eclampsia in Mexico City; and (4) a similar chart review at the national level.

The results from these studies show that magnesium sulfate still is not used routinely in cases of severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Barriers to its use include physicians’ lack of knowledge and acceptance of magnesium sulfate, drug-related factors (e.g., fear of potentially dangerous side effects), and lack of monitoring and supervision of magnesium sulfate use.