Fear of procedure and pain in individuals considering abortion: A qualitative study.
May Nguyen, Alice F Cartwright, Ushma D Upadhyay
PMID 36603469WHAT IT FOUND
People searching online for abortion care volunteered fear of procedure, pain, lack of sedation, and cost of pain control as barriers.
Some said these concerns affected whether they pursued or completed abortion.
Key findings
01The analysis identified 57 mentions about fear of pain or abortion procedure from 45 participants.
02Themes included fear of procedural abortion, lack of sedation, anticipated pain, complications, and cost of pain control.
03Among these participants, 23 had procedural abortion, 15 had medication abortion, 4 were still seeking abortion, and 3 planned to continue pregnancy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 45 of 1,005 follow-up participants raised pain or procedure concerns, so the themes may not represent all people considering abortion. Concerns were volunteered through open-ended questions rather than directly asked, so fear of procedure or pain may be undercounted. The study did not ask whether participants received pain control or sedation, making it difficult to interpret pain experiences. Participants were recruited online from people searching for abortion care, so people who did not search online or who faced different access barriers may be missing. Data were collected in 2017 to 2018, before telehealth for medication abortion was more widely available and before medication abortion was offered up to 77 days. The authors identify as abortion researchers and a future provider, which may influence interpretation.
Declared interests
The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest. The article is categorized as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support, but the supplied text does not describe a sponsor role.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as showing that procedural abortion is more painful than medication abortion or that fear of procedure causes abortion denial. The findings are themes from 45 participants who volunteered concerns in open-ended responses, and the study did not directly ask about pain control, sedation, or method comparison.