Misoprostol alone safely ends pregnancies after 10 weeks, study finds
Most women who took abortion drugs were successful even at later gestational periods, the researchers reported. Many were using only misoprostol, not the usual two-drug combination.
The NewsAn overwhelming majority of women were able to end unwanted pregnancies with abortion drugs alone and without other medical procedures, even if they were well beyond the first trimester, according to a report released Thursday.
The study was based on the experiences of 264 women aged nine to 16 weeks pregnant in Argentina, Nigeria and an unnamed Southeast Asian country where abortion is illegal. Almost half of the women took only one drug, misoprostol, instead of the standard two-drug treatment, mifepristone and misoprostol.
They were nonetheless able to terminate their pregnancies, according to the study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. All participants received information from an abortion support group.
The results are consistent with clinical data showing the efficacy and safety of medical abortions performed under medical supervision throughout pregnancy, Ruvani said. Jayaweera, an epidemiologist and researcher at Ibis Reproductive Health and one of the study's authors.
Nearly one in four women saw a doctor after abortions, most often to confirm that the termination was total. A smaller percentage wanted to address concerns about bleeding, pain, fever or discharge.
Women who had been pregnant for 12 weeks or more were significantly more likely to see a doctor after a medical abortion, compared to those who were nine to 11 weeks pregnant.
Almost half of women with unintended pregnancies who took abortion drugs at nine weeks gestation or later took only a single drug, misoprostol, not the standard two-drug regimen. The majority were still able to complete the termination.Credit...Adria Malcolm for The New York Times
Most women who took abortion drugs were successful even at later gestational periods, the researchers reported. Many were using only misoprostol, not the usual two-drug combination.
The NewsAn overwhelming majority of women were able to end unwanted pregnancies with abortion drugs alone and without other medical procedures, even if they were well beyond the first trimester, according to a report released Thursday.
The study was based on the experiences of 264 women aged nine to 16 weeks pregnant in Argentina, Nigeria and an unnamed Southeast Asian country where abortion is illegal. Almost half of the women took only one drug, misoprostol, instead of the standard two-drug treatment, mifepristone and misoprostol.
They were nonetheless able to terminate their pregnancies, according to the study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. All participants received information from an abortion support group.
The results are consistent with clinical data showing the efficacy and safety of medical abortions performed under medical supervision throughout pregnancy, Ruvani said. Jayaweera, an epidemiologist and researcher at Ibis Reproductive Health and one of the study's authors.
Nearly one in four women saw a doctor after abortions, most often to confirm that the termination was total. A smaller percentage wanted to address concerns about bleeding, pain, fever or discharge.
Women who had been pregnant for 12 weeks or more were significantly more likely to see a doctor after a medical abortion, compared to those who were nine to 11 weeks pregnant.
Almost half of women with unintended pregnancies who took abortion drugs at nine weeks gestation or later took only a single drug, misoprostol, not the standard two-drug regimen. The majority were still able to complete the termination.Credit...Adria Malcolm for The New York TimesWhat's Your Reaction?
