Abortion Safety and Use with Normally Prescribed Mifepristone in Canada

This study evaluated the impact of unrestricted mifepristone access on abortion trends in Ontario, Canada, from 2012 to 2020. Using population-based administrative data, researchers compared outcomes before and after mifepristone became available as a normal prescription (November 2017). Key findings include:

• Usage: Medical abortions increased from 2.2% to 31.4% of all procedures, while the overall abortion rate remained stable (11.9 to 11.3 per 1,000 women).

• Safety: Severe adverse events (0.03% vs. 0.04%) and complications (0.74% vs. 0.69%) showed no significant increase.

• Effectiveness: Small rises in ongoing intrauterine pregnancies (0.03% to 0.08%) and uterine evacuations (1.0% to 2.2%) were noted, but ectopic pregnancy detection remained rare (0.15% to 0.22%).

This study evaluated the impact of unrestricted mifepristone access on abortion trends in Ontario, Canada, from 2012 to 2020. Using population-based administrative data, researchers compared outcomes before and after mifepristone became available as a normal prescription (November 2017). Key findings include:

• Usage: Medical abortions increased from 2.2% to 31.4% of all procedures, while the overall abortion rate remained stable (11.9 to 11.3 per 1,000 women).

• Safety: Severe adverse events (0.03% vs. 0.04%) and complications (0.74% vs. 0.69%) showed no significant increase.

• Effectiveness: Small rises in ongoing intrauterine pregnancies (0.03% to 0.08%) and uterine evacuations (1.0% to 2.2%) were noted, but ectopic pregnancy detection remained rare (0.15% to 0.22%).