Safe handling of reproductive hormones routinely used in equine practice

Abstract

The use of exogenous reproductive hormones and/or hormone analogs is a mainstay of both clinical practice and research activities in equine reproduction. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines hazardous drugs as those that are known or suspected to cause adverse health effects in people from exposure in the workplace, and reproductive hormones such as those routinely used in equine practice are considered hazardous.1 Therefore, these agents can have inadvertent deleterious effects on personnel (discussed later), particularly women, who handle and administer them if appropriate precautions are not taken.