Immediate Complications More Common After Medical Than Surgical Abortions

Although the long-term complication rate for both medical and surgical abortion is low (JW Womens Health Jun 4 2009), we lack information about the immediate consequences of these procedures. In an analysis of national registry data, Finnish researchers assessed complications that occurred within the first 42 days in women who underwent induced abortions (22,368 medical; 20,251 surgical) at ≤63 days' gestation. Medical abortions were performed with mifepristone (alone or with misoprostol or other prostaglandins); surgical procedures involved vacuum aspiration or dilatation and curettage. Women who underwent medical abortions were slightly younger and more likely to be single and primigravidas than were women in the surgical cohort. Duration…