The study — led by public affairs researcher Abigail R.A. Aiken, MD, PhD, and published in The BMJ — analyzed self-reported outcomes from 1,000 women who obtained self-administered abortion medication from Women on Web, an online telemedicine service. All women were from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which have limited abortion access.
Less than 1 percent of women required a blood transfusion and 2.6 percent reported receiving antibiotics. About 10 percent of women were advised to seek medical advice following adverse symptoms, 95 percent of whom did so. There were no deaths reported by family, authorities or the media.
“Self-sourced medical abortion using online telemedicine can be highly effective, and outcomes compare favourably with in-clinic protocols,” the study authors concluded. “Women are able to self-identify the symptoms of potentially serious complications, and most report seeking medical attention when advised.”
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