Ru 486 Misconceptions Myths and Morals - ressourcesfeministes

RU 486the age of pregnancy has no significant effect, provided that itis less than 43 days, on the outcome of treatment (Sitruk-Wareet al., 1990). Additionally, most researchers now contend thatultrasound or measurement of ß-hCG levels are more reliableindicators of the age of pregnancy than a woman’s testimonyregarding her own menstrual cycle. If ultrasound becomesthe preferred measure of assessing the age of pregnancy, thismay result in more complications in third world countrieswhere the equipment may not be available.Incomplete abortions with or without a continuingpregnancy constitute the second complication. In studieswhere RU 486 is used without prostaglandin analogues,incomplete abortions/continuing pregnancies ranged from 44per cent (Kovacs, 1984) to 10 per cent (Grimes et al., 1988).Where a combination of RU 486/PG is used, in the morerecent clinical studies, incomplete abortions/continuingpregnancies ranged from 13.4 per cent (Gao et al., 1988) totwo per cent (Rodger and Baird, 1989). However, onewoman in this last-mentioned study required emergencysurgery. Incomplete abortions and ongoing pregnancies, ofcourse, necessitate that the products of conception areremoved by conventional abortion methods. Incompleteevacuation can be accompanied by severe bleeding due totissue that remains in the cervical area and is usuallyremedied by dilation and curettage. One study indicated thata woman who had been classified as a success returned twomonths later because of residual decidual material (Sitruk-Ware et al., 1990:228). This adverse effect of RU 486/PGabortion may lead to other possible complications such aspelvic inflammatory disease (PID) from infection, toinfertility, and possibly uterine cancer.In one study, clinicians administering RU 486 withoutprostaglandin analogues ‘adopted a conservative approachwith weekly ß-HCG and ultrasound evaluation.’ Theyreported that 29 out of 124 women did not terminate theirpregnancies until ‘between Day 15 and Day 45 after38