Health News

Abortion Complications Have Increased In Ohio Since 2011 Law

Photo from Wikipedia

A state law in Ohio restricting doctors performing abortions has raised the rate of complications in women, a study reports.

The law, implemented in 2011, mandates all abortion providers to abide by guidelines set by the US Food and Drug Administration on giving the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. The combination of the two drugs are proven to terminate early pregnancies effectively and safely, the Los Angeles Times states.

The FDA recommendations were set in 2000, dictating the specific amounts of mifepristone and misoprostol. Within a few years, however, doctors discovered that a lower dose of mifepristone and a higher one of misoprostol provided better results.

Several agencies, including the World Health Organization, the National Abortion Federation and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found many things lacking in the FDA’s protocol after it was issued, and began suggesting changes in 2003. Healthcare providers throughout the country began prescribing the drugs according to latest medical research results rather than the FDA guidelines.

These “off-label” prescription practices are both common and legal. According to statistics, 21% of all US prescriptions are meant for off-label use.

Before Ohio’s law took effect, abortion providers in the state used their judgment in prescribing which doses of the two drugs were most effective.

But they soon lost that flexibility, having to adhere to the FDA’s outdated recommendations.

Researchers analyzed the medical records of 2,783 women who had undergone medical abortions at one of four Ohio clinics between 2010 and 2014.

The results showed that women were three times more likely to need additional care after the law was implemented compared to before.

Prior to 2011, doctors provided additional intervention of some kind in 4.9% of abortion cases. This included more misoprostol or using a suction to remove the fetus from the womb. After the law had taken effect, additional care measures rose to 14.3% of cases, the study reported.

Also, the occurrence of side effects has nearly doubled since. Before the law, 8.4% of women experienced vomiting or nausea after the procedure. In 2011 onwards, that went up to 15.6% of women.

The average price of abortion-related medications jumped up as well, from $426 in 2010 to $551 in 2014. The researchers chalked the increase up to the additional doctor visits — from three to four — since the law was implemented.

The study authors, led by Ushma Upadhyay from the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UC San Francisco, wrote, “There is no evidence that the change in law led to improved abortion outcomes. Indeed, our findings suggest the opposite.”

The FDA updated its protocols in March, approving a new label for mifepristone that makes the drug easier for women to use and is in line with modern practices.

The new label extends the time a pregnant woman can use the drug, from seven to ten weeks after her last menstrual period. It also lowered the recommended dose from 600 to 200 milligrams, which lessens side effects and makes it less costly.

Also, the new label says women can take misoprostol at home, without a physician present.

The contemporary guidelines mean that women in Ohio can now receive better care, but the problem is that the FDA will have to update their protocols constantly for this to continue.

North Dakota, Arizona, and Texas have similar state laws for abortion in place.

The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

Click to comment
To Top

Hi - We Would Love To Keep In Touch

If you liked this article then please consider joing our mailing list to receive the latest news, updates and opportunities from our team.

We don't want an impostor using your email address so please look for an email from us and click the link to confirm your email address.