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Ectopic pregnancy and medical abortion
Caitlin Shannon1, L Perry Brothers, Neena M Philip
1Gynuity Health Projects, New York, New York 10010, USA.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
|July 2, 2004
Summary
Screening methods effectively identify ectopic pregnancies before medical abortion, with very few cases diagnosed post-treatment. This indicates current protocols are successful in ensuring patient safety during early pregnancy termination.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Gynecology
- Medical Abortion
Background:
- Medical abortion is increasingly used for early pregnancy termination.
- Providers screen for ectopic pregnancy before medical abortion to ensure safety.
- The adequacy of current screening methods is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of pretreatment screening for ectopic pregnancy in medical abortion.
- To determine the frequency of ectopic pregnancy diagnosed after medical abortion treatment.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of medical abortion studies published before July 2003.
- Inclusion of prospective studies and randomized trials with >100 participants reporting ectopic pregnancy post-treatment.
- Inclusion of two large, well-controlled unpublished studies.
Main Results:
- Ectopic pregnancy was diagnosed in 10 out of 44,789 (0.02%) women following medical abortion.
- This low frequency suggests high success rates for pretreatment screening methods.
Conclusions:
- Current pretreatment screening methods are successful in excluding ectopic pregnancies before medical abortion.
- Medical abortion does not appear to cause unusual complications in women with ectopic pregnancies.