Cunha José Manuel et al.
Speeches:
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Abortion in Portuguese Health Primary Care
Cunha José Manuel, C. Ribeiro, R. Aguiar, C. Lomba, A. Mateus, F. Fonseca, A. Simões, L. Campos, C. Silva (Portugal)
Administração Regional de Saúde do Norte, Porto, Portugal
jmscunha@gmail.com
Introduction. The fulfilment of the new Portuguese legislation on the interruption of pregnancy by woman’s free option made it necessary the creation of a public care rendering net that involved Hospitals and Health Care Centres. The Centres were attributed the generic function of women reference to the hospitals where if it carried the medical and surgical interruption takes place. The availability of some professionals allowed to organise in three Centres a consultation of medical interruption of the pregnancy by option of the woman until 10 weeks. There is a protocol of joint with the nearby hospitals that answer to the complications and the situations of medical abortion failure.
Objectives. Description of medical abortion practice by the woman’s option, done by general practitioners in family health services.
Method. The women appeal to the consultation voluntarily or referred by other institutions. The process consists of previous consultation where dating of pregnancy is confirmed by ultrasonographic scan. The law imposes three days of reflection, followed by a 2nd consultation where the therapeutic with Mifepristone starts; 36 - 48 hours later the process is completed with Misoprostol. Pregnancy termination is confirmed 2- 3 weeks later by ultrasonographic scan.
Results. Since October 2007 until May 2008, 118 abortions had been carried through. There were 4 medical abortion failures which required surgical termination and 1 case of hemorrhagic complication that needed curettage.
The study of the evaluation of the women’s satisfaction confirms a high level of satisfaction.
Conclusions. The results of abortions by the woman’s option done in these family Health Services are similar to the published ones in literature.