Abortion Reversals: Is Abortion Truly Permanent?
Abortion, or the termination of a pregnancy, is considered a very set-in-stone idea: once an abortion is performed, there is no going back. Typically, most abortions are done in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and in this early period, these abortions are performed using two different medications and are split up into two different phases. For the first phase, women consume mifepristone, which blocks progesterone, a hormone necessary for pregnancy. After two to four days, women then take another medication called misoprostol, which contracts the uterus to reduce the chance of continued pregnancy even further.
However, during the days in between the consumption of mifepristone and misoprostol, some women wish to continue their pregnancy and “reverse” their abortion. Because mifepristone inhibits the function of progesterone, some abortion reversals involve giving women medication that contain progesterone in between the mifepristone and misoprostol. In one study conducted by the University of California, Davis in 2019, a group of researchers sought to determine whether these abortion reversals are safe and effective.
In the study, the researchers approached 12 pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy who wanted an abortion. Before the study began, all the women agreed to have a surgical abortion, which is an abortion performed via surgical procedures, not by taking medication, after 14-16 days. Each of these women consumed one pill of mifepristone and kept a journal to record any side effects that occurred. Then, half of the women took progesterone for two weeks to see if their abortions could be reversed.
However, during the days in between the consumption of mifepristone and misoprostol, some women wish to continue their pregnancy and “reverse” their abortion. Because mifepristone inhibits the function of progesterone, some abortion reversals involve giving women medication that contain progesterone in between the mifepristone and misoprostol. In one study conducted by the University of California, Davis in 2019, a group of researchers sought to determine whether these abortion reversals are safe and effective.
In the study, the researchers approached 12 pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy who wanted an abortion. Before the study began, all the women agreed to have a surgical abortion, which is an abortion performed via surgical procedures, not by taking medication, after 14-16 days. Each of these women consumed one pill of mifepristone and kept a journal to record any side effects that occurred. Then, half of the women took progesterone for two weeks to see if their abortions could be reversed.
Some medical abortions can be reversed, but the results of these reversals may lead to severe health consequences and more uncertainty.
Image Source: Halacious
Over the course of the study, two women stopped participating because of side effects resulting from mifepristone. In the remaining groups of women, four women who took progesterone had continuing pregnancies, compared to two women who did not take progesterone. After these continued pregnancies, three women had to visit the emergency room because of severe side effects. One of the women, who was in the progesterone group, had severe heavy bleeding. The other two women, who did not take progesterone, experienced internal bleeding and low blood pressure. After these emergency room visits, the no-progesterone group on average reported nausea, spotting, and vomiting, and the progesterone group experienced more acute versions of these side effects. Consequently, the researchers decided to stop the study early.
Despite the limited results of the study, there are some lessons that can be drawn from it. First, compared to the side effect rates of other abortion studies that observed women who completed their abortions, the failure to take the second medication, misoprostol, could have caused the higher rates of severe heavy bleeding that women in this study encountered. Second, because the women who experienced very dangerous side effects were all at least 56 days pregnant, the researchers raised the possibility that safety issues associated with taking mifepristone and not taking misoprostol later on in the first trimester of pregnancy may be heightened. Finally, because the study was stopped early and the researchers could not follow these women to the end of their medical abortions, the researchers questioned whether taking progesterone simply delays abortions instead of reversing them as expected.
The results from this study show that abortion reversals, which are a relatively new concept, are still poorly understood. In fact, the exact riskiness of these procedures is unknown. However, one thing is clear: the decision to have an abortion can be a difficult choice to make, and emerging abortion reversals reflect the challenges associated with making such a difficult decision—some women ultimately change their minds days later. This emphasizes that abortion, despite being conducted for centuries, is still constantly evolving with new research advances. While today’s perception of abortion makes abortion seem like a definitive, permanent change, the consequences of this medical procedure may look very different tomorrow.
Despite the limited results of the study, there are some lessons that can be drawn from it. First, compared to the side effect rates of other abortion studies that observed women who completed their abortions, the failure to take the second medication, misoprostol, could have caused the higher rates of severe heavy bleeding that women in this study encountered. Second, because the women who experienced very dangerous side effects were all at least 56 days pregnant, the researchers raised the possibility that safety issues associated with taking mifepristone and not taking misoprostol later on in the first trimester of pregnancy may be heightened. Finally, because the study was stopped early and the researchers could not follow these women to the end of their medical abortions, the researchers questioned whether taking progesterone simply delays abortions instead of reversing them as expected.
The results from this study show that abortion reversals, which are a relatively new concept, are still poorly understood. In fact, the exact riskiness of these procedures is unknown. However, one thing is clear: the decision to have an abortion can be a difficult choice to make, and emerging abortion reversals reflect the challenges associated with making such a difficult decision—some women ultimately change their minds days later. This emphasizes that abortion, despite being conducted for centuries, is still constantly evolving with new research advances. While today’s perception of abortion makes abortion seem like a definitive, permanent change, the consequences of this medical procedure may look very different tomorrow.
Featured Image Source: Camila Cordeiro
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