Abortion pills are safe – analysis of over hundreds of studies
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More than 100 scientific studies conducted in 26 countries for more than 30 years have confirmed the safety and effectiveness of two abortion pills. These are mifepristone and misoprostol, reports The New York Times, which reviewed the research with medical experts. Medicines are usually used during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. According to the results of the review, the average frequency of complications after medical abortion was 0.31%. The risks of procedural abortion are 0.16%, and childbirth – 1.4%. “There is not much scientific ambiguity about the safety and effectiveness of the abortion pill,” said Dr. Caleb Alexander, professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Photo: ponomarencko/Depositphotos However, despite numerous scientific data on the safety of two abortion pills, anti-abortion groups in the United States have asked a federal judge to issue an order banning the use of the drugs. Opponents of abortion claim that pills are dangerous. If higher courts uphold the lawsuit, the country could abolish abortions, more than half of which are performed with the help of medication. “The use of these two chemical abortion drugs causes significant harm and harm to pregnant women and girls,” the anti-abortion groups said in their complaint. As proof of this harm, the plaintiffs cite several studies, none of which contradict the research published in the Times review. Instead, those studies point to outcomes such as bleeding and pain or emergency room visits after taking the pills. Almost all patients will experience bleeding and pain during a medical abortion, as the pills will essentially induce a miscarriage. “It’s an unpleasant experience. Bleeding naturally makes people anxious,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a professor of reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. According to an analysis of studies, the following side effects and complications associated with abortion pills are available. Mild: Usually resolve without medical intervention. nausea; diarrhea; vomiting; headache; dizziness; fever; fever or chills Moderate: Usually involves medical intervention at the patient’s request or as needed. incomplete abortion; uterine infection, the treatment of which requires antibiotics; seeking emergency care. Serious: Without medical intervention can cause harm to health. hospitalization for serious complications; Blood Transfusion; infection requiring hospitalization; death. Dr. Upadhyay’s research shows that most women do not experience serious complications. Pills are effective in about 95%, 5% of patients need an additional procedure to remove tissue remnants or terminate the pregnancy. Proponents of medical abortion say that these are usually dangerous situations. “It’s no more risky than if you had surgery. It’s very safe, with a low risk of complications,” said Dr. Adam R. Jacobs, medical director of Comprehensive Family Planning at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Only one of the studies cited by the plaintiffs reported serious complications when taking the abortion pill during the 12th week of pregnancy. This study examined records of more than 40,000 medical abortions performed in Finland in the early 2000s. It was reported that 20% of patients were seen by a clinician, most often for bleeding and less often for a procedure to remove the uterus and complete an abortion. Plaintiffs and other anti-abortion groups say 20% of that single study suggests female patients are at high risk of complications after taking the pill. However, the study itself states that bleeding is expected, serious complications are rare, and medical abortion is safe. Dr. Oskari Heikinheimo, author of the Finnish study and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Helsinki, said anti-abortion groups are misinterpreting the data. “The proper scientific way would be to look at the whole body of evidence. If you’re just picking the results you personally like, that’s pure nonsense,” said Dr Heikinheimo. In response, Dr. Donna Harrison, chairman of the board of the Hippocratic Medicine Alliance, which is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, pointed out that what researchers call moderate, she believes, are serious complications. However, one of the most important safety indicators for any drug is the risk of death. In 101 studies of 124,000 medical abortions reviewed by the Times, researchers reported one death from an abortion-related infection and one death from unknown causes. The US Food and Drug Administration reported that between 2000 and June 2022, 5.6 million women took the pill. Of them, 28 died, or 0.0005%. Some of these deaths may have been from other causes. We will remind you that recently in Ukraine there was a discussion among doctors about whether emergency contraception should be sold by prescription. In particular, it was about the hormonal drug Postinor, which must be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. Read also: In the USA they want to introduce new restrictions on abortions
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