Making unsafe abortion safe: medical method

WHO reported 13.0% of maternal deaths are related to unsafe abortion in developing world. To improve this, medical method of abortion has been in clinical use for over a decade. The antiprogestogen mifepristone followed two days later by a prostaglandin analogue is registered as a medical alternative to surgical termination of early intra uterine pregnancy. Since registration of medical method, research has continued to improve the medical abortion. Multicentre trials have shown that 200 mg of mifepristone orally and 800 ug of misoprostol vaginally results in a higher complete abortion percentage (95.0%). The gold standard method at present is 200 mg mifepristone orally followed by 800 ug ofmisoprostol vaginally 48 hrs later gives 95.0 to 97.0% success rate. With much improvement and efficacy more women accept medical method for abortion with higher satisfaction and provide more privacy to women especially where social stigmas are attached to induced abortion. Use of drug is safe and non-invasive and training is simple and complications are minimal. This is important in developing world where limited trained personnels are available to perform surgical evacuation. The disadvantage of medical abortion is the longer duration of bleeding compared with surgical abortion and fear of uncertainty and side effects. The termination of pregnancy is legalised in Nepal now, these medicines could be made available in market.