 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Jennifer Blum, MPH1, Beverly Winikoff, MD, MPH, Kelly Blanchard3, Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, MD4, Andrew Weeks, MD5, Godfrey Alia, MD5, Surasak Taneepanichskul, MD6, Orawan Kiriwat, MD7, and Korakot Sirimai, MD7. (1) International Programs Division, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, 212 339 0614, jblum@popcouncil.org, (2) Reproductive Health, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, (3) Medical Director, Hung Vuong Hospital, 128 Hung Vuong Street, Ho Chi Minh City, Q5, Vietnam, (4) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda, (5) Family Planning Unit/Dept of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chulalongkorn University, Rama IV Road, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand, (6) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Siriraj Family Health Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
Misoprostol, an E1 prostanglandin, has tremendous promise as a non-surgical means of treating incomplete abortion. The method can be easily provided by mid-level personnel, such as nurses and trained midwives. Use of misoprostol is also attractive because the tablets are relatively inexpensive, do not require refrigeration and can be administered orally. In this presentation, the authors will give an update on research being conducted by the Population Council and Gynuity Health Projects with the aim of gathering scientific evidence to identify the optimal regimen of misoprostol for this indication. To date, studies of oral misoprostol(600 mcg vs 1200 mcg)have been conducted in Uganda, Thailand and Vietnam and several new sites are planned for sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Data in Uganda compares 600 mcg oral misoprostol with MVA. Our presentation will review final results from the first three sites (n=600). Preliminary results demonstrate that a 600 mcg oral regimen successfully treats approximately 90% of all incomplete abortions. The method is highly acceptable to patients (approx. 90%), many of whom (<92%) indicated that they would recommend this treatment to a friend. Side effects were considered tolerable by more than 90% of participants and approximately 70% of women from Vietnam and Thailand reported that this procedure was less painful than a previous surgical termination. During our presentation, we will provide a policy update on current initiatives aimed at increasing access to misoprostol in countries where the need is the greatest. Information on availability, generic products and registration will be provided.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Post-Abortion Care, New Technology
Related Web page: www.popcouncil.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.