A prospective, non-randomized study of home use of mifepristone for medical abortion in the U.S.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the acceptability of taking mifepristone at home for early medical abortion in the United States.

STUDY

DESIGN

This prospective, non-randomized, open-label study at six Planned Parenthood centers gave women with pregnancies up to 63 days' gestation seeking medical abortion the choice of taking mifepristone in the center or at home. Participants were interviewed at a follow-up visit 1-2 weeks after mifepristone administration to assess their experience with the option they selected.

RESULTS

Four-hundred women were enrolled between April 2013 and June 2014 of which 32% (n=128) chose to take mifepristone at home. Abortion success rates did not differ between home and center users (96% and 97%). Among home users, 82% reported taking the mifepristone at the time they planned with their provider and no participant took it after 63 days' gestation. The most common reason cited for selecting home use was scheduling flexibility and significantly more home users took misoprostol on the weekend (50% vs. 36%, p=.02). Home users were more likely than center users to report missing no days of work due to the abortion (47% vs. 28%, p=.08). Ninety-nine percent of home users reported that they would take mifepristone at home again and 96% would recommend home use to a friend. Offering this option did not increase the service delivery burden on study providers, who would recommend home use in the future for most participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Home use of mifepristone is a highly acceptable practice for which there is current demand, and it should be offered as part of routine medical abortion services.

IMPLICATIONS: Offering the option of home use of mifepristone to medical abortion patients can provide women and clinics with more flexibility while maintaining a safe, effective and acceptable service. These results provide support for telemedicine or pharmacy distribution.