Acceptability of misoprostol-only medical termination of pregnancy compared with vacuum aspiration: an international, multicentre trial

Abstract

Objective: To compare women's acceptance of misoprostol-only medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) with surgical TOP.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Termination of pregnancy clinics in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hanoi, Tbilisi, Trivandrum and Yerevan.

Population: Women requesting TOP, at 63 days of gestation or less, at study sites where both medical and surgical methods were available.

Methods: Serial surveys eliciting measures of women's satisfaction and acceptance of TOP method were administered. Data were analysed using cross-tabulation and logistic regression to determine if TOP method was predictive of acceptability.

Main outcome measures: Patient acceptance.

Results: High acceptability of both surgical and misoprostol-only TOP.

Conclusions: Where medical TOP with mifepristone is not available, misoprostol-only medical TOP is acceptable to women who have the choice between medical or surgical techniques.