Patients who undergo a medication abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing severe pain and heavy bleeding than if they had surgical abortions, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania surveyed over 500 abortion patients, more than two-thirds of whom chose to take medication abortion, also often called a self-managed abortion, compared to a surgical procedure.
Choosing a medication abortion puts the patient at five times the risk of experiencing severe pain, according to the researchers’ statistical modeling. Medication abortions also put patients at more than nine times as likely risk of developing severe bleeding complications than surgical abortions.
The researchers also found that a current diagnosis of depression doubled the patient’s risk for severe pain and heavy bleeding.
Medication abortions make up approximately two-thirds of all abortions in the United States, but access to the medication has been highly politicized since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade federal abortion protections in June 2022.
The first pill in the medication abortion regimen, mifepristone, works by blocking progesterone receptors that are necessary for the fetus to continue development. The second medication, misoprostol, is taken within 48 hours of mifepristone and induces contractions to expel the pregnancy tissue.