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Complications of abortion and need for appropriate ultrasound assessment and peri‐abortion care
Author(s) -
Wang Mandy,
Girgis Myriam,
Cohen Sally,
Lee Joseph
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/ajo.13354
Subject(s) - abortion , medicine , harm , medical abortion , unsafe abortion , obstetrics , family planning , gynecology , medical emergency , family medicine , pregnancy , political science , law , environmental health , research methodology , misoprostol , population , genetics , biology
Abortion is an essential medical service; however, the lack of standardised protocols and follow‐up can cause unintended harm. We present four cases of post‐abortion complications presenting to a Sydney tertiary hospital which could have been avoided by appropriate ultrasound prior to abortion and peri‐abortion care. While social progress has led to significant reforms in abortion law, clinical guidelines must also be updated and consistently applied to ensure safety of this practice.