Informing women about drugs they take during pregnancy: promoting consumers' drug information as integral part of care.

Although it is recommended that drugs be avoided as much as possible during pregnancy, attitudes towards setting, time and method of the performed studies, and characteristics of the investigated population have been shown to vary. A collaborative and permanent network of different observational points is essential in monitoring and assessing the rational use of drugs, especially during pregnancy. In a context where knowledge is often scant and contradictory, the importance and the need for information on drug use during pregnancy remain unquestioned. If health (drug) information is the interface between those who produce and have knowledge and those who are beneficiaries of such knowledge, information for pregnant women (as well as for all lay people) is mandatory. Initiatives, people and instruments whose job it is to produce and diffuse informations have to be assessed and qualitatively harmonized to adequately answer to questions and needs. Women need information (concerning both pregnancy and drugs) on which to base choices on their own health care (and pregnancy). Clearly, this interaction depends on the kind of information and on the spirit with which it is provided. Thus it is essential that information (especially during pregnancy) be based on transparency and accountability, and it be directed by the principles of equity, effectiveness and affordability.