Misoprostol in Abortion Care: Review and Update

Purpose of Review

We seek to update readers on misoprostol use in abortion care. We discuss literature on misoprostol use in first trimester medication abortion, second trimester induction abortion, management of early pregnancy loss, and first and second trimester surgical abortion. We review publications investigating efficacy, acceptability, and safety of misoprostol doses, routes of administration, use with mifepristone and osmotic dilators, and timing in relation to mifepristone or surgery.

Recent Findings

In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated labeling for medication abortion: mifepristone 200 mg oral followed in 24–48 h by misoprostol 800 mcg buccal through 70 days gestation. Intervals less than 24 h decrease efficacy. The addition of mifepristone to misoprostol for second trimester induction abortion decreases time from misoprostol to complete uterine evacuation. Misoprostol may be used alone or in combination with osmotic dilators or mifepristone for cervical preparation for surgical abortion. Routine cervical priming with misoprostol is not recommended in the first trimester. Same-day cervical preparation with misoprostol may be used from the late first trimester through 18–20 weeks, although additional mechanical dilation may be required. After 18–20 weeks, misoprostol may be used with overnight osmotic dilators, although mifepristone may be preferred to avoid misoprostol side effects and enhance ease of the surgical procedure.

Summary

Misoprostol plays an indispensable role in abortion care and may be administered in doses of 400–800 mcg by oral, buccal, vaginal, and sublingual routes. More studies are needed to assess variations in dose and timing and to determine upper gestational age limits for same-day preparation.

     

产前检查孕妇的药物流产和手术流产史研究

目的 :分析产前检查孕妇中人工流产史的情况。方法 :1 997年 3～ 7月对上海市城市和农村地区参加产前检查的 1 0 0 0例孕妇调查人口学特征和妊娠、人工流产史。结果 :研究对象中 3 5 9例(3 5 .9%)有既往妊娠史 ,3 2 2例 (3 2 .2 %)有既往人工流产史 ,其中 2 70例 (2 7.0 %)仅有 1次人工流产 ,5 2例 (5 .2 %)有多次人工流产。人工流产的种类包括药物流产 (46例 )和手术流产 (2 87例 ) ,其中1 3例为曾作了药流加术流的多次人工流产。城市和农村参加产前检查的孕妇人口学特征差别有统计学意义 ,但是既往妊娠史、妊娠次数、活产史、人工流产史、人工流产次数、人工流产种类构成差别均无统计学意义。不同人口学特征孕妇药物流产史、手术流产史和合计人工流产史差别并无统计学意义。结论 :产前检查孕妇中人工流产的比例较高 ,必须采取相应措施降低人工流产率 ,提高育龄群众生殖健康水平。     

Testing the Safe Abortion Care model in Ethiopia to monitor service availability, use, and quality

Objective

To implement the Safe Abortion Care (SAC) model in public health facilities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and document the availability, utilization, and quality of SAC services over time.

Methods

The project oriented providers in 50 public health facilities in Tigray to the SAC model. Changes in SAC indicators between baseline and endline were assessed using a retrospective review of procedure logbooks at baseline and prospective monitoring of procedure logbooks for facility performance after introduction of the SAC model.

Results

Availability of SAC services increased from 39% to 86% of the recommended number of 5 facilities per 500 000 population, primarily as a result of functional improvements at health centers. Decentralization was accompanied by a 94% increase in the annualized number of women who received services. The proportion of uterine evacuation procedures for induced abortion rose from 7% to 60% (P < 0.01), and the proportion performed with recommended technology increased from 30% to 85% (P < 0.01). The proportion of abortion patients who received modern contraception also increased from 31% to 78% (P < 0.01).

Discussion

While widespread service delivery improvements were recorded using the SAC monitoring approach, the project design was built around existing programmatic activities of the local health authority and reflects some related research limitations. For example, there was no comparison group of facilities, timing did not allow for prospective collection of the baseline data before the intervention, and facilities received different levels of monitoring support.

Conclusion

Using the SAC model, public health facilities tracked progress and made needed adjustments, which improved service delivery. Continued focus on critical safe abortion care elements should increase the availability, quality, and use of life‐saving care to reduce preventable abortion mortality in the region.     

Considering Patient-Centered Obstetric Nursing Care: Why and How?

The authors assay the need for, the procedures involved in, and the benefits derived from a primary nurse approach to providing patient-centered nursing care for those pregnant women who receive their major prenatal and postnatal care through clinic facilities rather than from private physicians.     

Bon Voyage: An Update on Safe Travel in Pregnancy

Travel in pregnancy is common, particularly as international travel for work and leisure has become more commonplace. Few women are fully aware of the potential risks of travelling while pregnant, particularly the risk of delivering abroad. We describe here the medical risks and the many social, financial, and logistical considerations for travelling during pregnancy. Pertinent considerations include the risks of developing medical complications abroad, immunization considerations, access to obstetrical care in developing countries, travel medical insurance, and airline regulations.     

妈富隆提高药物流产效果的随机双盲对照研究

目的:观察药物流产后及时服用妈富隆的临床效果。方法:在上海市区3个临床中心共招纳600例因非意愿妊娠要求药物流产的早孕(<49 d)健康妇女,采用随机双盲对照的多中心临床研究。各中心门诊按药物流产常规接纳对象,口服米非司酮配伍米索前列醇,孕囊排出后随机分为A组和B组,于当日起每晚加服A或B药(外包装相似)1片,连服21 d,定期随访完全流产率、阴道出血时间、月经恢复情况等。结果:完全按医嘱执行并纳入资料分析的共414例,统计后揭秘A药为妈富隆(去氧孕烯炔雌醇片),209例,B药为安慰剂(不含任何药物的淀粉剂),205例,妈富隆组完全流产率高、月经恢复时间和经期出血时间短,与对照组比较差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:药物流产后及时连续口服妈富隆21 d,能提高完全流产率,促进月经恢复,缩短流产后出血时间、转经时间和行经时间。     

Abortion in Colombia. Medical, legal and socioeconomic aspects

Abortion is a social problem and criminal sanctions are very ineffective in limiting it and are seldom applied (133 legal actions vs. 65,600 cases of induced abortion in 1965). Abortion is a social disease, as are prostitution, juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, and so far has been an insoluble problem. Colombian laws should be modified to reflect reality. Sex education must be emphasized, because ignorance is one of the main causes of abortion. Leniency should be applied toward women who cooperate with the authorities in identifying the person who performed an abortion. Legalization of abortion and enforcement of strict laws against it are considered as possible solutions, but both are rejected. The former is regarded as morally unacceptable and as imposing an excessive burden on scarce health services, the latter as even worse, imposing an equivalent burden on the court system, without s olving either health or social problems. The best and probably only solution is to improve education in family planning, to promote knowledge and motivation to enable the population to make sound and responsible decisions.     

Trauma-Informed Psychosocial Screening and Care Planning: A Patient-Centered Improvement Project in a Midwife Clinic

Introduction

Traumatic stress is associated with increases in preterm birth, low birth weight, and other perinatal complications. Yet the identification of patients with traumatic stress and intervention for traumatic stress prevention or treatment remain low. Locally in this university hospital-based midwife clinic, a health records review found that trauma exposure was documented in 5% of patient records, and no records had a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is lower than research-based population estimates of 25% to 50% for trauma exposure and 8% for PTSD during pregnancy. The clinic staff did not screen for posttraumatic stress, and exposure screening was limited to intimate personal violence. Staff had not been trained in trauma-informed care (TIC) as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The aim for this improvement project was to provide trauma screening and trauma-related care planning, collectively referred to as trauma-informed psychosocial care, to midwifery patients 85% of the time.

Process

Interventions were implemented over 4 plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. These included staff training in TIC; written screening at the new prenatal, third trimester, and postpartum visits; verbal broad inquiry at every visit; and bidirectional trauma-specific care planning emphasizing patient and provider input into treatment choice. The clinic flow was changed to create privacy for patient-staff interaction at every visit. Field notes and data were analyzed every 2 weeks and iterative changes applied.

Outcomes

Trauma disclosure increased from 5% to 30% and identification of PTSD from 0% to 7%. Bidirectional care plan documentation increased from 8% to 67%. Staff rated the workload as reasonable.

Discussion

Redesigning psychosocial screening to align with TIC principles increased the discovery of trauma to levels consistent with research-based population estimates. Gains were made in bidirectional care planning. This project illustrates practical methods of implementing TIC principles.     

Spontaneous Abortion: a Medical Approach to Management

Summary: The conventional management of spontaneous abortion is surgical evacuation of the uterus to prevent complications which may arise from retained products of conception (POC). This procedure is not without complications and also demands operating theatre resources. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a medical approach to the management of spontaneous abortion using the prostaglandin analogue, gemeprost. From an initial 212 women presenting with spontaneous abortion, 4 groups were defined according to what they required in the way of initial management. A group of 20 women were excluded from conservative medical management at presentation because they were bleeding heavily and judged to be unsuitable. Sixty women initially required no further management other than determining that they had a complete abortion using transvaginal sonography (TVS). The 132 women were treated with the prostaglandin analogue, gemeprost. Sixty were judged to need no further management afterwards and were initially discharged. The remaining 72 women underwent evacuation of retained products of conception (ERPC) after the gemeprost treatment as medical evacuation of the uterus appeared to had been incomplete. In each of these 4 groups so defined, there was 1 case where an ERPC was required after the patients have been discharged because of complications attributable to retained POC. We therefore found that no ERPC was necessary in the management of 118 out of 212 (55.6%) women who presented with spontaneous abortion. This has important implications in patient management and economical use of hospital resources.     

Integrating Doulas Into First‐Trimester Abortion Care: Physician,Clinic Staff,and Doula Experiences

Introduction

Balancing the need to provide individual support for patients and the need for an efficient clinic can be challenging in the abortion setting. This study explores physician, staff, and specially trained abortion doula perspectives on doula support, one approach to patient support.

Methods

We conducted separate focus groups with physicians, staff members, and doulas from a high‐volume, first‐trimester aspiration abortion clinic with a newly established volunteer abortion doula program. Focus groups explored 1) abortion doula training, 2) program implementation, 3) program benefits, and 4) opportunities for improvement. Interviews were transcribed and computer‐assisted content analysis was performed; salient findings are presented.

Results

Five physicians, 5 staff members, and 4 abortion doulas participated in separate focus group discussions. Doulas drew on both their prior personal skills and experiences in addition to their abortion doula training to provide women with support at the time of abortion. Having doulas in the clinic to assist with women's emotional needs allowed physicians and staff to focus on technical aspects of the procedure. In turn, both physicians and staff believed that introducing doulas resulted in more patient‐centered care. Although staff did not experience challenges to integrating doulas, physicians and doulas experienced initial challenges in incorporating doula support into the clinical flow. Staff and doulas reported exchanging skills and techniques that they subsequently used in their interactions with patients.

Discussion

Physicians, clinic staff, and doulas perceive abortion doula support as an approach to provide more patient‐centered care in a high‐volume aspiration abortion clinic.     

The Outcome of Septic Abortion: A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience

Objective

To study the incidence of septic abortion, reasons for that, sociodemographic profile, abortion providers, complications faced, and treatment given and its outcome.

Methods

All the women with septic abortion admitted at Government Maternity Hospital, Tirupathi, over a period of 2 years 4 months duration from July 2007 to October 2009 were studied prospectively.

Observations and results

Incidence of septic abortion in our study was 6.78 %. 72 % of cases were performed by qualified medical personnel. Fourteen patients had complications, among them peritonitis, pelvic abscess, renal failure, and septic shock were common. Twenty-six patients had Grade-I sepsis, Grade-II: 8, Grade-III: 4, and Grade-IV: 4. Laparotomy was done in six cases. There was no mortality in our study.

Conclusion

The tragedy of septic-induced abortion is totally preventable. It only needs definitive commitment to women’s health by providing effective contraception, strengthening the family welfare services, and discouraging repeated terminations of pregnancy as contraceptive method.     

紫草对药物流产临床效果的影响

我们对600例停经42天内的早孕妇女分两组分别应用米非司酮联合紫草配伍米索前列醇及米非司酮配伍米索前列醇进行药物流产,结果表明米非司酮联合紫草组的完全流产率(99.00%)明显高于米非司酮组(92.33%)(P<0.01).前者用米非司酮和紫草后孕囊排出时间(54.01±7.55小时)及服用米索前列醇后6小时内的孕囊排出率(82.33%)较后者(56.41±9.93小时、72.67%)明显缩短和升高(P均小于0.05),且出血时间(7.01±3.11天)和出血时间超过10天的发生率(12.46%)亦较后者(8.09±5.63天,24.91%)明显缩短和减少(P值分别小于0.05和0.01).两组流产后月经转复天数无明显差别(P>0.05).由此可见,紫草可提高米非司酮药物流产的成功率、缩短出血时间,因此有必要对其提高药物流产效果的作用进行进一步的探讨.