Primodos

                                                                             Primodos 

 

                          

 

 

•   Primodos contained high doses of synthetic hormones:

  • Norethisterone (a progestogen)

  • Ethinylestradiol (an estrogen)

• It was produced by Schering AG.

   

Principle

It worked as a hormonal pregnancy test:

• A woman took two tablets.

• If withdrawal bleeding occurred → not pregnant.

• If no bleeding → pregnancy likely.

This method relied on hormonal responses rather than detecting hCG like modern tests

 

                                                             Primodos: Suspected Teratogen  

                                   

 

In the 1960s, some doctors suspected a link between Primodos and congenital abnormalities, including:

• limb defects
• heart defects
• brain malformations

One of the early doctors who raised concerns was Isabel Gal in 1967.

Primodos was a 1950s hormone pregnancy test containing norethisterone and ethinylestradiol, produced by Schering AG, later withdrawn due to concerns about possible birth defects. 

 

                                                                              Snapshot

 

                                                             Some Medicines Dont Work