Recently we wrote about the methods : intrauterine devices and levonorgestrel drugs. We hope that our readers have already become comfortable with reliable methods of contraception, but situations are different – and unwanted pregnancy can still occur. The state is trying to reduce the prevalence of abortions , and we tell you what medical abortion is and why it is preferable to usual.   

According to the WHO , out of 56 million abortions a year worldwide, 22 million are so-called unsafe abortions, performed by persons without proper qualifications or in inadequate conditions. These abortions lead to a huge number of complications – and as part of the fight against them, the World Health Organization is developing a policy to educate and increase the availability of safe abortion, primarily medical abortion. The regimens are different, but most often it is taking mifepristone by mouth, and then injecting misoprostol into the vagina or under the tongue.  

The effectiveness of medical termination of pregnancy has been proven and amounts to 99%, and it entails fewer risks than surgical termination . In addition, this method is much more comfortable: although it is carried out under the supervision of a specialist, a woman does not experience a sharp interference in her intimate sphere. She simply takes the pills at home and monitors the bleeding that has developed, visiting the doctor after a certain number of days. Any abortion, including medical abortion, is accompanied by certain risks – but they are much higher for surgical intervention.     

It is also important that the cost of medical abortion is much lower both for the health care system (if we are talking about public medicine) and for the patient herself (if we are talking about a private clinic). A set of drugs and the services of one specialist observing the process are cheaper than the work of a surgeon, nurses and nurses, time in the operating room, and surgical materials. As stated in the book of Professor Radzinsky ” Obstetric aggression “, the difference in cost is thirteen times. 

Medical abortion is preferable to surgical abortion in all respects: it is safer, easier and cheaper

It turns out that medical abortion is preferable to surgical abortion in all respects: it is safer, easier and cheaper. The paradox is that in Russia, according to various estimates, pharmacological accounts for about 4% of all abortions – while in European countries this figure reaches 80%, and even 90 %. As Natalya Artikova writes on behalf of Russian obstetricians and gynecologists, “ we don’t know how to do abortions ” – we are talking about the inability to meet international standards, ensuring maximum safety at minimum costs.     

It is noteworthy that the only surgical method that WHO refers to as recommended is vacuum aspiration, and Russian legislation proposes the use of medical abortion and vacuum aspiration. But in Russia, curettage (scraping) of the uterine cavity is most often used, an outdated and dangerous method. It happens that the problem is a lack of medical qualifications – surgery is simply applied unnecessarily. According to a survey conducted in Russia, medical abortions are more often chosen by young (under 30) women – the authors explain this by their openness to innovation. They make a decision together with a partner, consider health their priority and are ready to invest in it: medical abortion is not covered by the compulsory medical insurance system, with the exception of certain regions, for example, the Kemerovo region.       

Discussions about the complete withdrawal of abortions from the compulsory medical insurance system, which went on a couple of years ago, ended with the fact that they still remained in the insurance services : lawmakers were rightly afraid that the bill would lead to an increase in the number of clandestine abortions with all their complications and abandonment of children. There was talk about the prohibition of mifepristone itself on a national scale – allegedly its availability would lead to the fact that everyone would terminate pregnancy without a doctor’s supervision. But for such cases, there is a prescription drug system. By the way, it would be more effective for the state budget to introduce medical abortions into the compulsory medical insurance system – this would also reduce the number of complications associated with surgical ones.