Adverse Drug Reactions in Women's Health Care

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are drug-related adverse events that occur in individuals using usual or therapeutic doses of medication. Women have a nearly 2-fold greater risk for developing ADRs than men, and they are more likely to be hospitalized secondary to an ADR. This article reviews the physiologic mechanisms of ADRs, common clinical manifestations of ADRs to medications often prescribed in women's health care, documentation and reporting of ADRs, and ADR prevention strategies.