The goal of a healthy pregnancy is to deliver a baby at 40 weeks. Staying pregnant full term is one of the best ways to give your baby the time needed to grow and develop. If you deliver a baby too early—before 37 weeks of pregnancy, or 3 weeks prior to the due date—this is known as preterm birth. Sometimes preterm births are unexpected or unplanned, though an early delivery may be necessary in some medical situations. You’re not alone. In the US, 1 in 9 babies is born prematurely each year. That’s nearly half a million babies born too early. Preterm birth can happen to any pregnant woman. But women who’ve already delivered a baby too early (before 37 weeks)—regardless if the baby had health issues—are at a higher risk for having another preterm birth. In most cases, healthcare providers don’t really know what causes a woman to experience preterm birth. But they do know that certain factors may make some women more at risk than others. Talk with your healthcare provider to make sure you are familiar with the risks associated with preterm birth. See what you can do to help reduce your risk.
Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection) is a prescription hormone medicine (progestin) used to lower the risk of preterm birth in women who are pregnant with one baby and who have delivered one baby too early (preterm) in the past. Makena was shown to work based on a lower number of women who delivered babies at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy. There are no studies showing Makena reduces the number of babies who have serious problems shortly after birth or who die. It is not known whether Makena is safe and effective in women who have other risk factors for preterm birth.
Administration of Makena should be started between weeks 16 and 20 of pregnancy and continued once per week until week 37 or delivery.
As a specialty pharmacy, we can fill your prescription for Makena. Ask your pharmacist today to get started or contact Scott Smith, Pharm.D. at 910-455-9982.
Download the Makena Prescription Form (pdf)
