Intravenous administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) within 3 hours of birth significantly reduces death due to bleeding in women with postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Most PPH deaths occur in the first hours after giving birth and treatment delay decreases survival. One barrier to rapid TXA treatment is the need for intravenous (IV) injection, as trained medical personnel are not always available when the emergency occurs. Intramuscular (IM) injection and oral solution of TXA would be easier and faster to administer and would require less training than IV use. However, the pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics and safety of TXA administered by different routes in pregnant women have not yet been established.
The main aim of this study is to ascertain whether IM and oral solution of TXA will be well absorbed at levels sufficient to inhibit fibrinolysis in pregnant women.