Safer on Her Side

Doctors and midwives have long known that women nearing the end of pregnancy hate to lie flat on their backs--many complain that it makes them feel weak--but nobody knew why. There is good reason for the phenomenon, Dr. William F. Mengert of Southwestern Medical College reported last week. The heavy-laden uterus can press too hard on the big vessel (vena cava) carrying blood back to the heart, and thus cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, or shock. Dr. Mengert hopes that his discovery will save such patients from needless operations, because the real remedy is so simple: turn the woman on her side.

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