Mifepristone: A Safe Method of Medical Abortion and Self-Managed Medical Abortion in the Post-Roe Era.
Am J Ther
; 29(5): e534-e543, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2001509
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision on June 24, 2022 effectively overturned federal constitutional protections for abortion that have existed since 1973 and returned jurisdiction to the states. Several states implemented abortion bans, some of which banned abortion after 6 weeks and others that permit abortion under limited exceptions, such as if the health or the life of the woman is in danger. Other states introduced bills that define life as beginning at fertilization. As a result of these new and proposed laws, the future availability of mifepristone, one of two drugs used for medical abortion in the United States, has become the topic of intense debate and speculation. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY Although its safety and effectiveness has been confirmed by many studies, the use of mifepristone has been politicized regularly since its approval. Areas of future study include mifepristone for induction termination and fetal demise in the third trimester and the management of leiomyoma. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Society of Family Planning, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the World Health Organization. THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES The use of no-touch medical abortion, which entails providing a medical abortion via a telehealth platform without a screening ultrasound or bloodwork, expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and studies have confirmed its safety. With the Dobbs decision, legal abortion will be less accessible and, consequently, self-managed abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol will become more prevalent.CONCLUSIONS:
Mifepristone and misoprostol are extremely safe medications with many applications. In the current changing political climate, physicians and pregnancy-capable individuals must have access to these medications.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Misoprostol
/
Abortion, Induced
/
Self-Management
/
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Type of study:
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
/
Reviews
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Ther
Journal subject:
Therapeutics
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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