Another Perfect Wonder

Before I started nursing school, I knew “miso” as a labor-inducing drug.  I’ve seen it do nothing at all for a woman and I’ve seen it give my client three minute long contractions with only 30 second breaks.  And that last one was just a half a pill.  We doulas thought it was the bane of labor induction methods - once you take it, you can’t un-take it and you have to wait for your body to metabolize it and ride out the effects, whatever they may be. Not to mention there’s a risk of uterine rupture.  

Now, as a student nurse, I know it as a medicine used to treat ulcers - it’s a prostaglandin analog, which helps protect the stomach against NSAID-induced ulcers.  It’s labeled pregnancy category X, as in, don’t give it to pregnant women at all because it stimulates uterine contractions and can cause miscarriage. 

To summarize - my personal biases say miso is good for ulcers, bad for inducing labor.  But this article suggests a third use - reducing hemorrhage *after* birth, especially in places where they don’t have access to refrigerators (pitocin, the drug normally used in a post-partum hemorrhage scenario requires refrigeration).  It’s intriguing to be sure.