Background Medical abortion up to seven weeks of pregnancy by using a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol with careful follow-up is approved by WHO guidelines. But due to the counter sale of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) pills, in our country, pregnant women have easy access to use them landing upon serious complications. The present study aims to assess the outcome of self-medicated MTP pills in pregnant women. Method This prospective observational study includes pregnant women who presented to our hospital for medical assistance due to complications after using the counter of MTP pills without medical consultation. Findings of ultra-sonographic and physical examination were noted along with analysis of subsequent management. Results The major complaint at presentation was excessive bleeding (78%). Out of 100 patients, 66% of cases were diagnosed as incomplete abortion, 6% as missed abortion, and 6% as unaffected pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy was detected in 12% of cases. Sixty patients of incomplete abortion were managed with suction and evacuation and six were supplemented with misoprostol. All patients with ectopic pregnancies were managed surgically. Conclusion The majority of the pregnant women who took MTP pills presented with serious complications in the form of bleeding, incomplete/missed abortion, and ectopic pregnancy. Restriction of the over-the-counter dispensation of abortion pills needs to be strictly implemented and knowledge of women regarding the unfavourable outcome of MTP pill intake without proper consultation needs to be improved.

Not available.JNGMC Vol. 14 No. 1 July 2016, Page: 1-1

Medical abortion (MA) is the mechanism by which the administration of one or more drugs willingly interrupts a pregnancy. Around 46 million induced abortions occur annually worldwide. About half of these are unsafe abortions and they occur in developing countries. With the goal of decreasing the number of maternal deaths due to unsafe abortions, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of India (1971) was adopted to legalise abortions. Medical method involving ingestion of oral drugs is an accepted mode of MTP. However, self-administration of MTP pill carries number of risks. This study was carried out on women who presented with complaints following self-administration of abortion pills.An observational study was carried out in 100 women who reported with complaints seeking medical help following consumption of abortion pills to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences and Pradyumna Bal Memorial Hospital (PBM), Bhubaneswar between September 2018 and June 2020.Unmet need for spacing and unwanted pregnancy was the main reason behind self-administration of these pills. Most frequent presenting complaint was excessive bleeding per vaginum (78%). Twelve (12%) of the women presented with severe anemia and another 12% were diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy. Surgical intervention was needed in a majority (84%) of the cases.These unsafe abortions mostly go unnoticed and come to the limelight only when women present with serious consequences. This study highlights the immediate need for regulation and prohibition of unrestricted access to these drugs by the public.