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Medication Abortion In Early Pregnancy. Induced termination of early intrauterine pregnancy using medications. 6.4 Million Pregnancies/Year in the U.S. 24% Unintended Used Contraception. 51% Intended. 25 % Unintended Used No Contraception. Finer, 2006 (2002 data).
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Medication Abortion In Early Pregnancy Induced termination of early intrauterine pregnancy using medications
6.4 Million Pregnancies/Year in the U.S. 24% Unintended Used Contraception 51% Intended 25 % Unintended Used No Contraception Finer, 2006 (2002 data)
Unintended pregnancy rate: by race/ethnicity/income Unintended pregnancies per 1,000 women Finer, 2006
Outcomes of Unintended Pregnancies(Approximately 3.1 Million Annually) % of unintended pregnancies Finer, 2006 (2002 data)
89% of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy 11-12 weeks 9-10 weeks Under 9 weeks Guttmacher Institute, 2004 data
Abortion Access • 87% of counties have • no abortion provider • 35% of women live in • these counties • 25% of women travel > 50 miles to find provider % of Women in Counties with No Abortion Provider Source: Jones et al., 2008; Kaiser Family Foundation
Primary care shortage areas: with and without family physicians Graham Center, 2000
Could training family physicians in medication abortion make a difference?
Abortion in Family Medicine: Implementation Issues
Wanted versus unwanted pregnancy: consequences
Safety of Abortion • First trimester abortions DO NOT increase risk of: • Infertility • Ectopic pregnancy • Miscarriage • Birth defect • Preterm or low-birth-weight delivery Sources: Boonstra, 2006 Virk, J et al, NEJM, 2007
Medication Abortion Regimens:Three Choices Mifepristone+ Misoprostol Methotrexate+ Misoprostol Misoprostol alone
Most common med abortion regimen in US: Mifepristone/Misoprostol
Medication Abortion:Advantages • 95-99% effective • Avoids surgical and anesthetic risk • Greater patient autonomy & privacy • Less invasive • More “natural”
Aspiration Abortion: Advantages • Slightly more effective (about 99%) • Shorter time to completion • Shorter bleeding duration • Can be performed later in gestation
MIFEPRISTONE Causes progesterone blockade Decidual Necrosis Cervical Ripening Detachment MISOPROSTOL Causes uterine cramping & expulsion
Yolanda 22 years old Requests a pregnancy test
Counseling issues Review all options Assure that decision is hers
Rule out contraindications • Allergy to meds • Adrenal insufficiency • Current steroid use • Coagulopathy or anticoagulant use • IUD in place • No access to follow-up
Yolanda Gestational age: 6 weeks
Yolanda takes mifepristone in your office
Follow-up visit • 4 - 14 days later • Assure completion • Process experience • Review contraceptive • choice
Clostridium sordellii • 6 deaths in North America due to toxic shock with Clostridium following medication abortion • Similar deaths, however, also seen following • miscarriage, childbirth, trauma, & surgery • CDC: no causal link between medications and these incidents Source: CDC 2006, FDA 2006
Misoprostol-only medication abortion 800 mcg vaginally > 1 dose may be needed
Conclusion From pregnancy diagnosis through week nine, medication abortion is safe and effective. As its success depends on accessibility and counseling, medication abortion is well suited to the family medicine home.