Undetermined Teratogenic Risks by Traditional Sex Selection Drugs

Male child preference is a well known phenomenon in Indian society. There are various drugs and techniques used to achieve this target, even though these are illegal and punishable. Women desirous of male child try to procure these drugs which are supposed to help in sex selection. These secretly procured drugs can cause congenital defects in the fetus due to the fact that these drugs are always administered during first trimester - the most vulnerable period for the fetus. There are many drugs, whose teratogenic potential is already known. But in the absence of enough data and lack of clinical trial studies in pregnant women, we don't really know about many drugs, which are necessary for various medical conditions during pregnancy. On top of that these so called sex selection drugs add to an unhealthy practice leading to many more probable congenital anomalies. It is the need of the hour that proper data is collected about all such drugs and their implications is studied on fetus. Due to secret prescriptions, it may be difficult to ban such drugs, but public awareness and health education about congenital anomalies caused by such drugs is probably the only way to fight this menace.