Search

The acceptability of 6-month Depo-Provera injections in 310 patients (270) were postpartum cases) was studied. The method and possible side effects were explained to the patient before the 300 mg Depo-Provera im was administered. At the 6-week postnatal visit 31% of the 270 postpartum patients continued to have spotting. There was a pregnancy rate of 3.5/100 woman-years. 50% of the women discontinued at 6 months and 75% did so at 12 months. It was concluded that this form of contraception is poorly accepted by women in Singapore because of the high incidence of menstrual disturbances.

The safety of early vacuum aspiration performed as an outpatient procedure using local anesthesia was examined in a controlled study sponsored by the World Health Organization and undertaken in two centers in Yugoslavia and Singapore. The sample consisted of healthy women whose pregnancies were between 7 and 12 weeks in duration. Follow-up four weeks after abortion was nearly 100 percent in both centers. No important differences in complication rates were found between the different types of services and anesthesia, even though overall complication rates differed markedly between centers. Overnight postabortion observation was not associated with any decrease in complications.

Patient characteristics such as age and parity, the timing of abortion, and the technique and procedures are all factors that may affect the risk of complications following induced abortion. With respect to the last two factors, Andolsek (1974) found fewer short-term complications associated with vacuum aspiration than with dilatation and curettage. However, in another study, based on the same sample used here, she found no higher risk of complications after induced abortion performed under local anesthesia than under general anesthesia (see the preceding article in this issue). This study tests the relationship between complication rates following vacuum-aspiration abortion and several patient and method characteristics: age, marital status, parity, duration of pregnancy, outcome of last pregnancy, interval since last pregnancy, and amount of cervical dilatation achieved. It also compares findings with those of earlier studies. The data derive from a controlled study conducted in Yugoslavia and Singapore comparing the risk of complications following induced abortion by vacuum aspiration using (1) local versus general anesthesia and (2) outpatient services versus overnight postoperative hospitalization. The sample consists of a group of healthy women pregnant 7-12 weeks. The study was conducted in 1973-74 at the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers for Clinical Research on Human Reproduction at the Family Planning Institute and the Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia