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Pain in Medical abortion
Pain during a medical abortion is caused by the uterus contractions (muscular layer).
Mifepristone (administered in the first step) has little effect on uterine tone, so no pain is usually associated.
The main contribution of Misoprostol (Cytotec, taken in the second stage) to the medical abortion package abortive effect is the uterine contractions (uterine contractions) intensive stimulation. The contractions cause the fetus to be expelled from the uterine cavity. But, of course, this effect has the opposite impact – cramping and pain.
Lower abdominal pain occurs 0.5-4 hours after taking Misoprostol and may vary from subjectively barely perceptible to intolerable. The pain nature may be: cramping, tugging, pressing. If the pain is sharp stabbing, it may indicate an ectopic pregnancy, in which case it is urgent to seek medical help.
The pain intensity is directly proportional to the gestational age and largely depends on the woman’s pain threshold.
The pain duration ranges from a few hours to a day, about 3-4 hours. Pain at a high time is usually associated with a relatively long gestation period, as in this situation, it is more difficult for the uterus to expel the fetus.
After the fetus expulsion from the uterine cavity, the pain usually subsides.
Penney G., in 2006, during his study, suggested that patients who had a medical termination of pregnancy should rate their pain on a 10-point scale, where: 1 for mild pain and 10 for intolerable pain.
The statistics obtained are given below:
- Moderate pain (3-5 points) – 25%;
- Very severe and severe pain (6-8 points) – 40%;
- Unbearable pain (9-10 points) – 10%.
Thus, the patients about half do not require pain relief, and the other half need to be prescribed particular analgesics. We enable you to order effective pain relief that does not interfere with the main drugs. For more information, please see the AF Pain Management page.
Please note that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Paracetamol, Aspirin, etc.) is contraindicated (!) for pain relief, as they are essentially blockers of the prostaglandin Misoprostol. Only one medecine can be successfully used during the procedure – Ibuprofen. Morу details read in “Pain relief in MTP“
In addition to specific analgesics, No-Spa can be used to reduce pain. The drug does not so much relieve pain as it relaxes the cervix, thus facilitating the fetus release from the uterine cavity.