Ru 486 Misconceptions Myths and Morals - ressourcesfeministes

Claims for RU 486/PG Abortionby the actual age of the woman’s pregnancy. This too ispoorly defined with some studies proposing a cut-offpregnancy age of 42 days (e.g. Gao et al., 1988:676; Maria etal., 1988:255), but with the larger number of studiesadvocating an outer limit of 49 days (e.g. Somell and Ölund,1990:13; Zheng, 1989:19). Trials conducted in Englandincluded women who were pregnant for up to 56 days (Rogerand Baird, 1987:1415; Cameron and Baird, 1988:272) or,as in the UK Multicentre Trial, 63 days (1990:481).There are a multitude of other contraindications, manyrelating to a woman’s menstrual and reproductive history.Women with evidence of menstrual irregularities areexcluded from some trials. ‘Regularity’ is defined as 28 daysplus/minus three days (Couzinet et al., 1986:1565; Grimes etal., 1988:1307). Women with fibroids, abnormal menstrualbleeding, or endometriosis were not admitted to some studies(Li et al., 1988:733). ‘Cervical incompetence’ is anothercontraindication (Grimes et al., 1988:1307; and 1990:911).Other studies exclude women with a previous abortionhistory, spontaneous or induced (Sitruk-Ware et al., 1985:243;Grimes et al., 1990:911). Past and/or present history of‘abnormal pregnancies’ including multiple and ectopicpregnancies exempts a further number of women (Rodgerand Baird, 1987:1415; Sylvestre et al., 1990:645). Pelvicinflammatory disease (PID) excludes still more women(Couzinet et al., 1986:1565; Maria et al., 1988:250).Some studies rule out women who have used IUDs orhormonal contraception three months prior to or during thelast cycle in which conception occurred (Swahn andBygdeman, 1989:293; WHO Trial, 1989a: 719). The claimthat RU 486/PG abortion is the safe treatment of choice forlarge numbers of women shrinks further in the light of thesignificant number of women worldwide who use eitherIUDs or the contr aceptive pill. However, because only afew studies disallow contraceptive users from chemicalabortion treatment, what awaits women who take the pill35