title: Early surgical abortion: safe and effective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate patients' characteristics and complications of surgical abortion performed at an early gestation, compared to later gestations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 4310 women with unintended pregnancies attending the family planning unit of a government maternity hospital in Konya, Turkey, were included retrospectively. Abortions were carried out from 6 weeks' up to 10 weeks gestation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The gestational age in 62% of the cases was between 6 weeks and 6 weeks + 6 days. Only 8.5% of the 4310 women had used a modern contraceptive method, and 16% had had a surgical abortion for an unplanned pregnancy previously. These women were younger, had more siblings, and a shorter time had elapsed since their last pregnancy when compared to women who never had an abortion. There were four failures (0.09%). The rate of retained products of conception (RPCs) was 1.9% in women aborted between six and six (+ 6) weeks' gestation, and 6.2% (p < 0.001) in those aborted later. Women who had had a surgical abortion previously more often had RPCs than those who never had (16% vs. 1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Of the 151 women with RPCs, 65 (43%) had been using an intrauterine device prior to surgical abortion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early surgical abortion (at six-six(+ 6) weeks' gestation) generates few complications. Delaying surgical abortion until a somewhat later gestation causes complication rates (particularly RPCs) to increase.
authors: Department of Public Health, Selcuklu Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey.
authors: Fatih
authors: F
authors: Kara
authors: Nasuh Utku
authors: NU
authors: Dogan
authors: Serap
authors: S
authors: Bati
authors: Senay
authors: S
authors: Demir
authors: Yasemin
authors: Y
authors: Durduran
authors: Cetin
authors: C
authors: Celik
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D014421:Turkey; D014619:Vacuum Curettage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards