Preliminary Post-Dobbs Trends in Emergency Department Use for Early Pregnancy Complications

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Reproductive Health
• Health Policy

Background:

• The 2022 Dobbs decision led to severely restrictive abortion policies in many US states.
• This may increase emergency department (ED) visits for early pregnancy complications (EPC) due to delayed care or reduced access to reproductive health services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between severely restrictive abortion policies and post-Dobbs ED visits for EPC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, cross-sectional study using 2016-2022 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data.
• Analyzed ED visits for EPC among female patients aged 15-49 using diagnosis codes or chief complaints.
• Multivariable logistic regression examined regional associations with post-Dobbs EPC visits.

Main Results:

• Identified over 7.8 million weighted EPC-related ED visits.
• No statistically significant difference in the proportion of EPC visits pre- vs. post-Dobbs across US regions.
• Adjusted odds of post-Dobbs EPC visits showed no significant regional increase compared to the Northeast.

Conclusions:

• This preliminary study did not find a significant association between US region and post-Dobbs ED visits for EPC.
• The ED remains a critical access point for reproductive healthcare, especially with increasing restrictions.
• Further research with larger datasets is necessary to fully understand the impact of abortion laws on ED utilization for early obstetric complications.