Women should be able to have a medical abortion at home, Family Planning Association, UK

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 23 May 2005 - 10:00 PDT

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A survey funded by the Family Planning Association, UK, and published today (23rd May) in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology shows that 36% of women who had experienced an early medical abortion in hospital would have opted to complete the procedure at home had they been given the choice.

Early medical abortion is less invasive than surgical abortion and involves taking two tablets. The first tablet blocks the hormones needed for the pregnancy to continue and the second tablet is taken two days later to expel the fetus. The method is used to end unwanted pregnancies of up to nine weeks' gestation. A total of 71% of women in the survey agreed there was nothing that happened at the time of the abortion in hospital they would have been unable to cope with at home.

Anne Weyman, fpa Chief Executive said: "Completing the second stage of a medical abortion at home can provide greater comfort and privacy and also reduces the number of visits needed to a clinic. The option involves providing full information to a woman during her first visit about what to expect along with back-up medical advice and is already available in the USA and other countries*."

"Medical abortion is a highly safe and effective procedure and with training, services can be run by nurses. This would improve access and waiting times for early abortion by boosting the number of professionals involved in the service and also fits in with the broader NHS strategy of developing nurses' skills and specialisms," she added.

Mr Peter Bowen-Simpkins of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: "Medical abortion is still offered to only about 17% of women seeking termination of pregnancy in England. This paper underlines the safety of the procedure and its lack of complications. It is hoped that it will be offered to the majority of patients with unwanted pregnancies up to nine weeks."

For further information please contact fpa's press office on 020 7923 5202/5201. Mobile 07958 921060.

*including Guadeloupe, Tunisia, Vietnam, France and South Africa. Hamoda H et al. The acceptability of home medical abortion to women in UK settings. Please quote BJOG as a source. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/bjo

The survey analysed 366 self-completed questionnaires completed in four NHS gynaecology units in England and Scotland of women undergoing conventional, hospital based medical abortion up to nine weeks gestation.

http://www.fpa.org.uk

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