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Updated: Sep 11, 2025

A Precision Medicine Tool for Measurement and Monitoring of Hemoglobin S in Sickle Cell Disease Patients Receiving Transfusion Therapy
Induced and spontaneous abortion outcomes among individuals with sickle cell disease
Emma Braun1, Kyler McVay2, Nathanael Koelper1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Objective:
Describe induced and spontaneous abortion outcomes among individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD).
Study Design:
Retrospective review of outcomes and complications within 30 days of patients with SCD at an academic tertiary care center undergoing procedural or medication management for induced or spontaneous abortions up to 23w6d.
Results:
Among 71 unique pregnancies (59 induced, 12 spontaneous abortions), 67 (94%) had procedural management, with rare hemorrhagic (2, 3%), infectious (1, 1%), and thromboembolic (0, 0%) complications. The most common complication was presentation to the emergency room within 30 days for vaso-occlusive pain (17, 25%), which was associated with number of SCD-related emergency room visits within the prior year.
Conclusion:
The results reported in this study support the safety of uterine evacuation procedures for induced and spontaneous abortion in patients with SCD.
Implications:
While outcomes of childbirth among individuals with SCD are well described, little is known about pregnancies that end in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in this population. We describe outcomes after induced and spontaneous abortion among patients with SCD and show that procedural complications were uncommon.
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