1. Systemic hormonal contraception initiation after abortion: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Author
-
Nathalie Kapp, Yokabed Ermias, Erin Berry-Bibee, Mary E. Gaffield, Caron Kim, and Antoinette T. Nguyen
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Immediate ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Review Article ,Abortion ,Hormonal Contraception ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,Medical abortion effectiveness ,0302 clinical medicine ,Randomized controlled trial ,Pregnancy ,law ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine ,Hormonal ,Obstetrics ,business.industry ,Absolute risk reduction ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Abortion, Induced ,Delayed ,Medical abortion ,Contraception ,Reproductive Medicine ,Hormonal contraception ,Family Planning Services ,Meta-analysis ,Pill ,Relative risk ,Systematic review ,Female ,business - Abstract
Background Immediate contraceptive initiation, including start of a method before abortion completion, is a convenient option for women seeking abortion care. Objectives To evaluate the effect of systemic hormonal contraception initiation on medical abortion effectiveness and the safety of hormonal contraceptive methods following abortion. Data sources PubMed, Popline, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov. Study eligibility criteria Studies that assessed medical abortion effectiveness after systemic hormonal contraception initiation and the safety of hormonal contraception initiation after abortion. Participants Pregnant persons undergoing or who had recently undergone an abortion. Interventions Initiation of systemic hormonal contraception post abortion or on the day of the first pill of the medical abortion. Study appraisal and synthesis methods We assessed study quality using the US Preventive Services Task Force evidence grading system. We created narrative summaries and calculated pooled relative risks when appropriate. Results We identified 16 studies for inclusion, 7 randomized controlled trials, and 9 cohorts. Nine studies assessed medical abortion effectiveness with hormonal contraception initiation and generally found no decreased risk of abortion success or increased risk of additional treatment. One fair-quality study reported a small increase in ongoing pregnancy rate with immediate depot medroxyprogesterone (DMPA) compared with delayed DMPA initiation (3.6% vs 0.9%, risk difference 2.7%, 90% confidence interval 0.4–5.6). We identified no bleeding-related safety concerns following hormonal contraception initiation after medical or surgical abortion. Pooled results were too imprecise to draw firm conclusions. Limitations Included studies were poor or fair quality and primarily in high-income or upper-middle-income settings. Conclusions Abortion effectiveness did not differ between immediate vs delayed initiation of most systemic hormonal contraceptive methods after a first trimester medical abortion. However, immediate DMPA initiation did show increased ongoing pregnancy. Bleeding effects with hormonal contraception initiation postabortion appeared minimal. Implications Initiating a hormonal contraceptive method after an abortion and as early as the same day as the first pill of the medical abortion is an option if contraception is desired. The slight increase in ongoing pregnancy with immediate DMPA initiation highlights the importance of information provision during contraceptive counseling.
- Published
- 2021