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Current medical abortion care.
1University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Hospital, 300 Halket Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3180, USA. mcreinin@mail.magee.edu
Current Women'S Health Reports
|November 14, 2003
Summary
Medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol is a safe and effective early abortion method. The standard regimen of 200 mg mifepristone followed by 800 mcg vaginal misoprostol achieves over 95% complete abortion rates.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Medical abortion using mifepristone and a prostaglandin analogue offers a safe alternative to surgical abortion.
- Since 1988, mifepristone has enabled millions of women to access safe abortion care.
- Regimens for medical abortion have been refined to reduce costs and time to abortion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evolution and current standard of care for medical abortion.
- To highlight the efficacy and acceptability of mifepristone-misoprostol regimens.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical studies and established medical abortion protocols.
- Focus on the widely adopted mifepristone-misoprostol regimen.
Main Results:
- Mifepristone 200 mg followed by 800 mcg vaginal misoprostol at least 24 hours later is a highly effective regimen.
- Complete abortion rates exceed 95% with this method.
- Self-administration of misoprostol is feasible and effective.
Conclusions:
- Medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol is a highly effective and safe option for early pregnancy termination.
- Ongoing research aims to further improve medical abortion outcomes and patient acceptability.