Women who undergo an abortion during the second trimester tend to prefer a surgical procedure to the abortion pill.
Women who undergo an abortion during the second trimester tend to prefer a surgical procedure to the abortion pill.
Medication-induced abortions most often involve taking the drug mifepristone - commonly referred to as the abortion pill - followed by a hormonal medication called misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract.
Researchers followed 122 women in the UK who were seeking an abortion between the 13th and 20th weeks of pregnancy and agreed to be randomly assigned to either a medical or surgical abortion. Women in the medication group took oral mifepristone, and returned to the medical clinic 36 to 48 hours later to receive several doses of misoprostol, until the abortion occurred.
Before the procedure and two weeks afterward, the women were asked to complete a standard questionnaire that measured their psychological response to stressful events. They also rated their physical symptoms during and after the procedure, and answered questions on general health and depression symptoms. However, only 60 percent of the women in the study completed that follow-up.
Women who received a medical abortion reported more pain and had more vaginal bleeding than those who underwent surgery. All women in the surgery group said they would opt for that form of abortion again, if necessary. In contrast, only 53 percent of women in the medication group said the same. The women in the medical-abortion group reported more pain on the day of the abortion and in the days afterward. They also had more vaginal bleeding and discharge; 37 percent said their bleeding was heavier than a menstrual period, versus only 4 percent of women in the surgical-abortion group. In addition, amongst women in the surgical group who completed the follow-up, none said the experience had been worse than they had expected. In contrast, 53 percent of women in the medication group did feel that way. And while the two groups did not differ in their overall scores related to psychological distress, the medical-abortion group had a higher average score when it came to intrusive thoughts.
A major limitation of this study was its small size and the number of women who took part in the follow-up. The results therefore need confirmation in a much larger study before the real clinical impact can be determined. Still, what the results do suggest is that women should have both the medical and surgical options available so that they can choose an option based on their personal preference.
Medication-induced abortions most often involve taking the drug mifepristone - commonly referred to as the abortion pill - followed by a hormonal medication called misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract.
Researchers followed 122 women in the UK who were seeking an abortion between the 13th and 20th weeks of pregnancy and agreed to be randomly assigned to either a medical or surgical abortion. Women in the medication group took oral mifepristone, and returned to the medical clinic 36 to 48 hours later to receive several doses of misoprostol, until the abortion occurred.
Before the procedure and two weeks afterward, the women were asked to complete a standard questionnaire that measured their psychological response to stressful events. They also rated their physical symptoms during and after the procedure, and answered questions on general health and depression symptoms. However, only 60 percent of the women in the study completed that follow-up.
Women who received a medical abortion reported more pain and had more vaginal bleeding than those who underwent surgery. All women in the surgery group said they would opt for that form of abortion again, if necessary. In contrast, only 53 percent of women in the medication group said the same. The women in the medical-abortion group reported more pain on the day of the abortion and in the days afterward. They also had more vaginal bleeding and discharge; 37 percent said their bleeding was heavier than a menstrual period, versus only 4 percent of women in the surgical-abortion group. In addition, amongst women in the surgical group who completed the follow-up, none said the experience had been worse than they had expected. In contrast, 53 percent of women in the medication group did feel that way. And while the two groups did not differ in their overall scores related to psychological distress, the medical-abortion group had a higher average score when it came to intrusive thoughts.
A major limitation of this study was its small size and the number of women who took part in the follow-up. The results therefore need confirmation in a much larger study before the real clinical impact can be determined. Still, what the results do suggest is that women should have both the medical and surgical options available so that they can choose an option based on their personal preference.
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