Comparative study of medical vs surgical abortion in the first trimester- which one is better choice?

Abortion is defined as the spontaneous and induced termination of a pregnancy before foetal viability. Abortions accounted for one-third of all pregnancies, and nearly half of the pregnancies were unintended. An effective way to prevent the burden of unsafe abortion could be access to safe abortion services. Both surgical and medical methods are available for abortion or the termination of a pregnancy. Thus, we compare the two methods of medical and surgical abortions in this study. The study was conducted on women attending obstetrics and gynaecology OPD for seeking treatment for abortion in the first trimester. 100 women were allocated to Group A, who opted for medical treatment, and Group B, for surgical abortion. Two groups were compared in terms of clinical parameters like blood loss, aftereffects, post-procedure visits, and efficacy. In group A, 14% of women had minimal bleeding, 70% had moderate bleeding, and 6% had heavy bleeding. In group B, 72% had minimal bleeding, 28% had moderate bleeding, and no one had heavy bleeding. The combined complication rate in surgical abortion was significantly lower as compared to medical abortion, but the difference in clinical efficacy is not significant. The medical method is a good alternative to surgical abortion. The medical termination was associated with more bleeding and more post-procedural aftereffects, although both procedures were comparable in clinical efficacy.