The impact of midtrimester abortion techniques on patients and staff

Complications after Second Trimester Surgical and Medical Abortion

“…Also, because of the additional tranquilising effect of the pain medication used, as well as the more passive involvement of the woman (who is ''operated on'' but is not an active participant in the actual procedure), D&E may be less emotionally traumatic than induction approaches. 24 However, contrary to the lesser involvement of physicians (as opposed to nurses) during induction abortions, D&E requires total physician involvement, and as gestational age increases, much of the emotional burden of the procedure is borne by the physician.…”

“…3 However, it may also be true that some nurses attending the delivery of a fetus after medical induction in mid-trimester abortion find it equally difficult. 24 Studies that examine how clinicians and nurses cope with these difficulties would be useful for education and training purposes. Providing second trimester abortion is challenging for providers whatever the method, yet those willing to be providers are also highly committed to meeting women's needs.…”

Women's decision making regarding choice of second trimester termination method for pregnancy complications

“…Approximately 150 000 women in the USA per year are faced with the diagnosis of a fetal anomaly [1,2], and most women will terminate for that reason [3][4][5][6]. The 2 methods of second trimester termination, dilation and evacuation (D&E) and medical abortion, are similar in safety and efficacy [7], but are very different experiences for women [8]. D&E is shorter and typically done as an outpatient with deeper anesthesia [9].…”

Confronting the challenge of unsafe second‐trimester abortion

“…Conclusive data are lacking on provider acceptability of dilation and evacuation versus induction termination. Some doctors find dilation and evacuation emotionally difficult; however, induction shifts the emotional burden to the nurses who care for laboring patients [24].…”