Summary
Background. Access to safe abortion is a key aspect of women’s reproductive health. Medical and surgical abortion methods are highly effective and generally safe when performed by trained professionals, though complications can occur. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 73 million abortions are performed worldwide each year. Since 2023, women in Lithuania have been given the option to choose medical abortion as an alternative to surgical methods.
Aim of the study. To evaluate the safety of medical and surgical abortion methods using newest literature and assess their impact on women’s reproductive health and fertility.
Study material and methods. A literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, and the electronic resources of Vilnius University Library. Twenty relevant studies were selected for analysis.
Results. Surgical abortion, most commonly performed via vacuum aspiration, shows up to 99.8% effectiveness with a low risk of complications (bleeding 1.3%, infections <0.4%). Medication abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol is 96–97% effective, with serious complications occurring in less than 1% of cases. Both methods have no clinically significant impact on subsequent pregnancies.
Conclusions. Medical abortion, recommended as a first line and safe method, presents a low risk of complications and, similar to surgical abortion, does not significantly affect women’s future fertility or pregnancies.
