Safety, efficacy and acceptability of mifepristone-misoprostol medical abortion in Vietnam

Context: In developing countries where the demand for abortion services is high, such as Vietnam, the need for safe and effective alternatives to surg ical abortion is great. Medical abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol may be an appropriate option in some of these countries. Methods: In a comparative study of the safety, efficacy and acceptability o f medical and surgical abortion, 393 women at two urban clinics chose betwe en a mifepristone-misoprostol medical regimen and the standard surgical pro cedure offered in each clinic. Results: Success rates for both methods were extremely high (96% for medica l abortion and 99% for surgical abortion). Medical abortion patients report ed many more side effects than women obtaining surgical procedures (most co mmonly, cramping, prolonged bleeding and nausea), but none of these side ef fects represented a serious medical risk. Nearly all women, regardless of t he method they chose, were satisfied with their abortion experience. Additi onally among women who had previously undergone surgical abortion, those wh o selected medical abortion were more likely than those who chose surgery t o say that their study abortion was more satisfactory than their earlier on e (32% vs. 4%). Conclusions: Mifepristone-misoprostol abortion is safe, effective and accep table for urban Vietnamese women who are given a choice of methods. If simi lar results are observed for rural areas. the regimen could help meet the n eed for abortion services nationwide.