Medical Abortion

Objective: to review medical abortion with emphasis on studies using methotrexate and misoprostol.Data Sources: a MEDLINE search and bibliographies from relevant articles were used. Only studies in English and French with medical abortion using mifepristone, methotrexate and misoprostol were reviewed.Data selection: only studies using mifepristone with 100 or more women were included. All studies using methotrexate and misoprostol alone or in combination were reviewed.Results: in early pregnancy, combinations of mifepristone with prostaglandin or methotrexate with misoprostol are effective for pregnancy termination. When misoprostol is used to augment mifepristone or methotrexate, its vaginal application appears to be superior to the oral route. Vaginal misoprostol (800 μg) is more effective applied five to seven days after the methotrexate than three days after. For inevitable or incomplete abortions, misoprostol alone may be used effectively to avoid surgery. When surgical abortion fails, medical abortion is an excellent back-up treatment.Conclusion: medical abortion with mifepristone or methotrexate plus misoprostol is a safe and effective method of pregnancy termination. Because the complete abortion rate with medical abortion is less than with vacuum aspiration, surgery cannot be completely avoided. Commitment on behalf of both physician and patient is necessary to ensure safety. If mifepristone becomes available in Canada, studies comparing its use to methotrexate will be of paramount importance to help to determine the best method. Further research into medical abortion is important to women’s health as this method is highly acceptable and has the potential to increase access to safe abortion.