One of every ten births in the United States is a preterm delivery. A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks, and anything from 20 to 37 weeks is considered a preterm delivery. These early deliveries are a result of either other complications that require a preterm birth to protect the child or are unplanned as the baby decides to make an appearance a bit early. Studies on the topic of preterm deliveries haven’t discovered the exact causes of early births, so any woman that is pregnant is at risk for a preterm delivery. Although any pregnant woman can have a preterm birth, those that have had a preterm delivery prior to the current pregnancy are at an even higher risk. Fortunately, there is a medication called Makena that expecting mothers can take to reduce their risk for preterm delivery. Advocate My Meds works to provide this medication to mothers in America who cannot afford it because of minimal or nonexistent prescription medication insurance.

Common Risk Factors for Preterm Delivery

Although there is not one cause that studies have shown that results in a preterm delivery, there are some commonly accepted risk factors that may deem a pregnant mother a candidate for Makena. These common risk factors include:

• Having a preterm delivery prior to the current pregnancy
• Having twins or triplets prior to the current pregnancy
• Having issues with the cervix or the uterus during pregnancy
• Being of African American descent
• Being pregnant shortly after the birth of another child
• Having infections throughout pregnancy (especially infections of the female reproductive organs)
• Drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, or using illicit drugs throughout the pregnancy

How can Medication Help?

Makena is a federally approved medication that produces hormones that can help expecting mothers lower their risk for a preterm delivery. The hormone, progestin, keeps a pregnant woman from having early contractions. This is important since the final weeks of a pregnancy are still vital for the last stages of development of necessary organs, including the lungs. If you are a high-risk expectant mother, Makena could give your unborn child the final stages of development it needs to be born with good health.

The Only FDA Approved Medication of its Kind

Makena is the first federally researched and approved medication used in the aiding of pregnant mothers from giving a preterm delivery. It is also the only federally approved medication of its kind. Being federally approved gives this medication a few extra benefits including:

• Knowledge of its safety
• Knowledge of its efficacy
• Knowledge of its quality
• Free from contaminants
• Knowledge on how much to take
• Information on its sterilization

Makena is an injection given once a week to expectant mothers who are high risk for an early delivery. The injection is given right into the upper hip to mothers who are between 16 weeks and 20 weeks and six days into their pregnancies. They are usually administered by a physician, but there are also alternatives to having a nurse administer the medication in-home or having a doctor instruct you on how to apply the medication yourself.

Getting Help Paying for Makena

Advocate My Meds was developed to help people in America who cannot afford their needed prescription medications be able to do so. We provide discounts and full coverage of specific medications that are offered through patient assistance programs. There are over 700 patient assistance programs which are offered by nonprofit organizations and prescription manufacturers. Instead of shuffling and searching for the patient assistance program for you as well as applying for each one, we take the legwork out of all of it and fit the program to your needs. Have more than one medication that you need assistance with? Check out our full list of medications that we provide coverage and discounts for. There is no limit to a number of medications that we can help with, as long at they are on the list provided on our website. There are a few qualifications and requirements to be accepted into the program, so check out the eligibility page on the website to see if you qualify. The application is free and easy to do on the internet as well. Have questions about our medications or patient assistance programs? We would be happy to assist you. Call us today to speak with an Advocate My Meds team member at 877-596-1604.