Five intrauterine devices (IUDs) are available in the United States: four levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems (two containing 52 mg, one containing 19.5 mg and one containing 13.5 mg) and one copper-bearing device (Copper T 380A). All IUDs have very low typicaluse failure rates and high acceptability ratings, yet they are used by a minority of women, ... Read more >

This commentary introduces the Medical Abortion Reporting of Efficacy (MARE) guidelines as a supplement to CONSORT and STROBE. The goal of the recommendations is to standardize early medical abortion efficacy reporting to facilitate comparison of outcomes between studies and to enrich the ability for data synthesis from different studies to create evidence-based guidelines. We hope ... Read more >

First-trimester surgical abortion is a common, safe procedure with a major complication rate of less than 1%. Cervical dilation before suction abortion is usually accomplished using tapered mechanical dilators. Risk factors for major complications in the first trimester include increasing gestational age and provider inexperience. Cervical priming before first-trimester surgical abortion has been studied using ... Read more >

For a dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedure, the cervix must be dilated sufficiently to allow passage of operative instruments and products of conception without injuring the uterus or cervical canal. Preoperative preparation of the cervix reduces the risk of cervical laceration and uterine perforation. The cervix may be prepared with osmotic dilators, pharmacologic agents or ... Read more >

The following guidelines reflect a collation of the evaluable medical literature about surgical abortion prior to 7 weeks of gestation. Early surgical abortion carries lower risks of morbidity and mortality than procedures performed later in gestation. Surgical abortion is safe, practicable and successful as early as 3 weeks from the start of last menses (no ... Read more >