It's National Women’s Health Week!

Women make up more than half of the population of the United States and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated May 11^th-17^th as time to encourage women to prioritize their health. This means that in addition to getting active, avoiding unhealthy behaviors and visiting a healthcare professional, now is a good time to review medication regimens.

The metabolism of medications commonly prescribed in women may be affected by individual genetic variations or drug-drug interactions, putting the patient at risk for treatment failure or adverse drug events. Of particular concern are the breast cancer medication tamoxifen and the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are commonly found in oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

With an estimated 12% of women developing breast cancer in their lifetime and an estimated 30% of women age 15-44 on the pill, a huge portion of the population may be at risk of treatment failure (such as an unplanned pregnancy) or adverse effects.

As women across the nation take the time to think about their health, also think about medication management. Adverse drug events and treatment failure don’t have to affect your patients and can be prevented.