Determining the Efficacy and Acceptability of Outpatient, Single-visit, Medical Abortion during Gestational Period

The aim of this study was to ensure more effective utilization of this important advancement to maximize the reproductive health of women and maintain women’s right to high quality health care services. Surgical evacuation is the traditional method. However, this approach has disadvantages, including need for admission to hospital, administration of anesthesia, instrumentation, immediate procedural morbidity, absence from work and loss of man- power, and long-term consequences affecting future pregnancy. This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in women seeking termination of pregnancy up to 59 days of gestation and was carried out between January 2007 and May 2008 in the Green Cross Hospital and Sakriti Clinic in Lucknow, India. Follow-up sonography was performed two weeks later. The reasons patients chose this method were to avoid hospitalization, preference for a natural and noninvasive method, and confidentiality (55%). Side effects were mainly mild abdominal cramps (45%) and prolonged bleeding (2.4%). The success rate of complete abor- tion was 98.12%, with 1.25% of these patients needing a second vaginal dose to complete the treatment. The single-visit medical abortion method is acceptable and efficacious for women in developing countries.