Serial multilevel urine pregnancy testing to assess medical abortion outcome: a meta-analysis

Use of an at‐home multilevel pregnancy test and an automated call‐in system to follow‐up the outcome of medical abortion

“…The current findings confirmed previous research showing that MLPTs are effective for identifying women with no ongoing pregnancy following medical abortion initiated on or before 63 days from the last menstrual period . The present study also corroborated published evidence suggesting that MLPT has potentially lower accuracy for detecting ongoing pregnancy following medical abortion performed after 63 days …”

“…By contrast, no decrease in hCG range indicates the need for further clinical evaluation, although this result does not necessarily mean that the pregnancy remains ongoing. A meta‐analysis showed that MLPTs offer 100.0% predictive value (95% confidence interval 93.3%–100.0%) to detect ongoing pregnancy after early medical abortion (≤63 days of pregnancy) . Research conducted in various contexts shows that women find the MLPT easy to use and many prefer this home‐based method to in‐clinic follow‐up …”

Comparison of two low-sensitivity urine pregnancy tests for confirming the success of early medical abortion

“…In addition, it is known that women report that they value the reassurance of having a negative LSPT after EMA 13. Other workers have suggested that a better option may be the use of a multilevel pregnancy test (MLPT) that has a range of several thresholds for urine hCG and that can be used to determine the success of EMA in some women as early as 3 days after mifepristone administration 14. Studies from a number of countries have shown that a MLPT with five windows is reported to be easy to use and interpret by women undergoing EMA 14.…”

“…Other workers have suggested that a better option may be the use of a multilevel pregnancy test (MLPT) that has a range of several thresholds for urine hCG and that can be used to determine the success of EMA in some women as early as 3 days after mifepristone administration 14. Studies from a number of countries have shown that a MLPT with five windows is reported to be easy to use and interpret by women undergoing EMA 14. Whether or not a MLPT at this early stage has any advantage over advising women to contact the abortion service if they have scant bleeding or pregnancy symptoms in the first weeks after EMA remains to be determined.…”

Accuracy of a point-of-care test for quantifying human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in the management of pregnancy of unknown location in an abortion service

“…Multi-level semi-quantitative urinary pregnancy tests have been developed and used in various contexts to assess outcome of early medical abortion in the USA6 and Mexico 7. These tests show a test line at different bracketed levels of hCG and can allow for a baseline result and then follow-up to confirm the success of abortion.…”