How commonly do US abortion patients report attempts to self-induce?

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Pharmacology
• Public Health

Background:

• Self-induced abortion is a public health concern, with anecdotal reports suggesting the use of misoprostol and other substances.
• Understanding the prevalence of self-induction is crucial for assessing its impact on reproductive health outcomes and informing public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the percentage of women accessing clinical abortion services in the United States who report prior use of misoprostol for self-induction.
• To determine the prevalence of using other substances (e.g., herbs, vitamins) for self-induced abortion attempts among this population.

Main Methods:

• A nationally representative sample of 9,493 patients from 95 US abortion facilities participated.
• Data were collected via questionnaires distributed by 107 randomly selected US abortion providers.
• Statistical weights were applied to ensure national representativeness of US abortion patients.

Main Results:

• Only 1.2% of women obtaining abortions reported ever using misoprostol to self-induce abortion or "bring back" their period.
• A comparable 1.4% of women reported using other substances, such as vitamin C or herbs, in attempts to end a pregnancy.
• These findings indicate low self-induction rates among women seeking formal clinical abortion services.

Conclusions:

• Media portrayals of widespread self-induced abortions using misoprostol may overstate the actual incidence among women accessing clinical care.
• Further research is necessary to accurately estimate the incidence of self-induced abortion among women who do not seek clinical abortion services.