The goal of the study is to determine whether important clinical outcomes differ among women who access a combined medical abortion regimen from a pharmacy when compared with those who access it from a facility.
Medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy is safe and highly effective. Investigators aim to assess whether self-use of early (\<9 weeks) medical abortion using mifepristone with misoprostol results in non-inferior rates of clinical outcomes when compared with clinic-based provision of medical abortion. The investigators will prospectively recruit women who obtain medical abortion medication from pharmacies and clinics. Follow-up will occur by telephone during two phone calls within 30 days following the woman's abortion. A small number of adolescents will be recruited into a qualitative substudy.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
4,196
One cohort using medical abortion pills sourced from pharmacies
One cohort using medical abortion pills sourced from health clinics
University of Health Sciences
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Regional Institute for Population Studies
Accra, Ghana
Need for additional treatment to complete abortion
The primary outcome of the study will be the need for additional treatment to complete the abortion (either aspiration or repeated misoprostol) following a woman taking the medical abortion pills.
Time frame: Final assessment at 30 days following mifepristone administration
Serious complications/ morbidity
Number of participants who will have a complication such as hemorrhage requiring a blood transfusion, hospitalization, serious infection and undiagnosed (at the time of mifepristone) ectopic pregnancy.
Time frame: Final assessment at 30 days following mifepristone administration
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