Pain management in outpatient surgical abortion

To review the current literature focusing on pain management and experiences during abortion care.

Analgesic options in abortion care address pain associated with the procedure, osmotic dilator insertion, and cervical preparation. The paracervical block (PCB) is effective for pain control in first and second trimester abortions. Lower volume PCBs demonstrate non inferiority with osmotic dilator placement compared with higher volume PCBs with lower potential for toxicity. Self-administered vaginal lidocaine gel is noninferior to PCB in first trimester abortions. Preoperative oral narcotics and sedation do not reduce pain in first trimester abortions; however, the latter may reduce anxiety. For second trimester abortions, narcotics or gabapentin do not improve postoperative pain, yet up to half of patients will use narcotics if offered. Nonpharmacological methods have shown success in pain management. Music and doula support do not improve pain; however, patients would recommend these modalities, indicating some benefit that went unmeasured. Auricular acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) reduce pain and anxiety during first trimester abortions.

Several modalities reduce pain during abortion care; however, pain alone does not reflect patient satisfaction. Development of multidimensional measures for pain control assessment has the potential to capture the patient's overall experience.