title: What do women want during medical abortion?
abstract: A questionnaire study was carried out to investigate the needs of women undergoing a medical abortion induced by mifepristone in combination with either gemeprost pessaries or oral misoprostol. One-hundred-and-eighty women undergoing medical abortion of pregnancy of up to 63 days amenorrhoea were randomised to treatment in the sitting-room (treatment room) or in the ward. Overall, 77% and 69% treated in the sitting-room and ward, respectively, would have preferred treatment in the sitting-room. Fifty-four per cent did not wish their partner or friend to be present and 76% would prefer to stay in hospital following administration of prostaglandin. Ninety-five per cent of the patients would recommend this method of abortion to their friends. Women who received misoprostol required significantly less analgesia than women who were given 1 mg gemeprost as a vaginal pessary. The requirement for opiate analgesia was not influenced by parity, gestation of pregnancy, history of dysmenorrhoea or the dose of mifepristone. Almost 100% of the patients were satisfied with this method of treatment. This study indicates that the majority of women undergoing medical abortion prefer to be treated in a group, a method which is highly cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Thong
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Dewar
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology*; D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000527:Alprostadil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D015982:Bias; D003061:Codeine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015735:Mifepristone; D016595:Misoprostol; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010570:Pessaries; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D016595:Misoprostol; D015735:Mifepristone; D000082:Acetaminophen; C021182:gemeprost; D003932:Heroin; D000527:Alprostadil; C014481:dihydrocodeine; D003061:Codeine