Efficacy of early induced medical abortion with mifepristone when beginning progestin-only contraception on the same day.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether starting progestin-only contraception immediately after mifepristone reduced the efficacy of early medical abortion with a mifepristone-misoprostol regimen. METHODS: A review of patient records from October 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 from four Marie Stopes Mexico clinics in Mexico City was conducted. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had undergone a medical abortion with mifepristone-misoprostol at no later than 63days of pregnancy, had a recorded outcome, and had either started progestin-only contraception immediately after mifepristone administration or had not started contraception. The primary outcome-successful induced abortion-was defined as the complete evacuation of uterine contents without the need for further intervention. A secondary outcome was the number of induced abortions completed without the need for manual vacuum aspiration. RESULTS: Records from 2204 patients were included; 448 (20.3%) patients had started progestin-only contraception, and 1756 (79.7%) had not. Patients not taking progestin-only contraception were significantly more likely to be primigravidas and nulliparous. Medical abortion success did not vary between the two groups; 1890 (85.8%) were successful and 2085 (94.6%) were completed without the need for manual vacuum aspiration. Different methods of progestin-only contraception did not affect medical abortion outcomes. CONCLUSION: Beginning progestin-only contraception immediately following mifepristone for early medical abortion was not associated with reduced medical abortion effectiveness.

Influence of hydatidiform mole follow-up setting on postmolar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia outcomes: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of hydatidiform mole (HM) management setting (reference center versus other institutions) on gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) outcomes. METHODS: This cohort study included 270 HM patients attending Botucatu Trophoblastic Diseases Center (BTDC, São Paulo State University, Brazil) between January 1990 and December 2009 (204 undergoing evacuation and entire postmolar follow-up at BTDC and 66 from other institutions [OIs]). GTN characteristics and outcomes were analyzed and compared according to HM management setting. The confounding variables assessed included age, gravidity, parity, number of abortions and HM type (complete or partial). Postmolar GTN outcomes were compared using Mann-Whitney's test, chi2 test or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Postmolar GTN occurred in 34 (34/204 = 16.7%) BTDC patients and in 27 (27/66 = 40.9%) of those initially treated in other institutions. BTDC patients showed lower metastasis rate (5.8% vs. 48%, p = 0.003) and lower median FIGO (2002) score (2.00 [1.00, 3.00] vs. 4.00 [2.00, 7.00], p = 0.003]. Multiagent chemotherapy to treat postmolar GTN was required in 2 BTDC cases (5.9%) and in 8 OI cases (29.6%) (p = 0.017). Median time interval between molar evacuation and chemotherapy onset was shorter among BTDC patients (7.0 [6.0, 10.0] vs. 10.0 [7.0, 16.0], p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: BTDC patients showed GTN characteristics indicative of better prognosis. This underscores the importance of GTD specialist centers.

Patient characteristics and service trends following abortion legalization in Mexico City, 2007-10.

Legal abortion services have been available in public and private health facilities in Mexico City since April 2007 for pregnancies of up to 12 weeks gestation. As of January 2011, more than 50,000 procedures have been performed by Ministry of Health hospitals and clinics. We researched trends in service users' characteristics, types of procedures performed, post-procedure complications, repeat abortions, and postabortion uptake of contraception in 15 designated hospitals from April 2007 to March 2010. The trend in procedures has been toward more medication and manual vacuum aspiration abortions and fewer done through dilation and curettage. Percentages of post-procedure complications and repeat abortions remain low (2.3 and 0.9 percent, respectively). Uptake of postabortion contraception has increased over time; 85 percent of women selected a method in 2009-10, compared with 73 percent in 2007-08. Our findings indicate that the Ministry of Health's program provides safe services that contribute to the prevention of repeat unintended pregnancies.

[Induced abortion in Cartagena, Colombia: estimation using Abortion Incidence Complications Methodology]. / Aborto inducido en Cartagena, Colombia: estimación mediante la "Metodología de Complicaciones de Aborto Inducido"

OBJECTIVE: Estimating induced abortion incidence in a reference hospital and the city of Cartagena, Colombia. METHODOLOGY: This was an ecological study that used Abortion Incidence Complications Methodology (AICM). Data from the Rafael Calvo Maternity Clinic (CMRC) was used for estimating post-abortion attention in Cartagena, Colombia. Induced abortion rates and ratios were estimated in the CMRC and the city of Cartagena from CMRC data using the AICM model. RESULTS: The estimated induced abortion ratio in Cartagena was 261/1,000 births in 2005, 244 in 2006 and 259 in 2007. The estimated rate per 1,000 females aged 15-44 for induced abortion was 22 in 2005, 22 in 2006 and 21 in 2007. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated rate was similar to the rate found in previous research using Colombian data from 1989. Public health measures should be focused on reducing unwanted pregnancies and thereby reduce induced abortion rates.