WHO recommendation on advance misoprostol distribution to pregnant women for prevention of postpartum haemorrhage

Overview

In 2019, the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for World Health Organization (WHO) maternal and perinatal health recommendations prioritized updating of the existing WHO recommendations for advance misoprostol distribution to pregnant women for prevention of PPH in response to the availability of new evidence.

The recommendation in this document thus supersedes the previous WHO recommendation for the prevention of PPH as published in the 2012 guideline, WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.

The primary audience for these recommendations includes health professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health-care guidelines and protocols(particularly those related to PPH prevention and treatment) and those involved in the provision of care to women and their newborns during labour and childbirth, including midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners and obstetricians, as well as managers of maternal and child health programmes, and relevant staff in ministries of health and training institutions, in all settings.