Is mifepristone medical abortion more likely to lead to fatal infection than other methods of abortion and pregnancy outcomes?
Fatal infections are rare, occurring in fewer than 1 out of 100,000 uses of mifepristone medical abortion, far less often than the incidence of fatal penicillin-induced anaphylaxis (0.002% or 1 in 50,000 uses)2 According to Dr. Stephen Galson, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the risk of death from infection following mifepristone medical abortion are similar to the risks after surgical abortion or childbirth.3 Medical abortion is associated with the same risks as a natural miscarriage and is many times safer than carrying a pregnancy to term. In fact, the overall frequency of reported infection following medical abortion is lower than after surgical abortion or childbirth.
Related Questions
- Are the known cases of C. sordellii infection following medical abortion likely to be an underestimate of what is really happening?
- Is mifepristone medical abortion more likely to lead to fatal infection than other methods of abortion and pregnancy outcomes?
- Is serious infection common following mifepristone medical abortion?
