November 22, 2016.
According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and presented by the Foundation of the Future, the side effects of voluntary pregnancy interventions (abortions) are numerous.
1 in 3 women experience severe pain
Medicated abortion can be performed until the 5th week of pregnancy, i.e. a maximum of 7 weeks after the start of the last period. It is the most common (57% of abortions performed in 2015, according to figures from the Ministry of Social Affairs), but it is not trivial. According to a study conducted by Inserm, the side effects of this abortion are numerous and yet often overlooked..
According to this study, many women indeed complain of abdominal pain or nausea after a medical abortion: 1 in 3 women (27%) said they had experienced ” very intense pain »With a painful peak observed on the third day, when taking the second drug, because of the contractions and expulsion of the embryo.
Pain passed over in silence
But what worries Inserm is that these patients have little or no information about these side effects. ” The pain associated with it has been glossed over and has not, until today, been studied at all. », Emphasizes Dr David, obstetrician gynecologist and head of the IVG center at the Jules-Verne clinic in Nantes, who led the study. “ However, the support of patients who experience pain during abortions is a question of ethics. “.
Among the side effects, the researchers found that women could suffer from fatigue (88%), nausea (70%), dizziness (42%), headache (42%), diarrhea (37%) and vomiting (28%). According to the study authors, it is high time to rethink pain management protocols and follow-up of patients after an abortion.
Read also: Intervention procedures during an abortion
