Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Comparative effectiveness, safety and acceptability of medical abortion at home and in a clinic: a systematic review

Thoai D Ngo, Min Hae Park, Haleema Shakur & Caroline Free

Volume 89, Number 5, May 2011, 360-370

Table 3. Side-effects and complications, their duration and the proportion of women who reported them among those who underwent home-based and clinic-based medical abortion

Study	Side-effect/complication
	Pain/cramps				Nausea				Vomiting				Fever/chills				Heavy bleeding^a
	Mean no. of days (SD)		% who reported		Mean no. of days (SD)		% who reported		Mean no. of days (SD)		% who reported		Mean no. of days (SD)		% who reported		Mean no. of days (SD)		% who reported
	H	C	% who reported		H	C	% who reported		H	C	% who reported		H	C	% who reported		H	C	% who reported
Akin et al. 2004⁹	2.9 (3.1)	2.6 (3.4)	NR		2.0 (2.8)	1.8 (2.0)	NR		0.8 (2.0)	0.4 (1.0)	NR		1.0 (2.4)	0.4 (0.7)	NR		2.1 (2.3)	1.7 (2.5)	NR
Bracken et al. 2006²⁴	0.6 (1.2)	0.5 (1.2)	90.3		1.1 (1.4)	1.2 (1.4)	62.7		0.7 (1.2)	0.7 (1.1)	33.7		0.3 (0.8)	0.3 (0.7)	23.2		1.9 (1.7)	2.0 (2.0)	NR
Ngoc et al. 2004³⁰	1.7	1.4*	NR		1.5	0.8*	NR		0.6	0.2*	NR		0.4	0*	NR		2.5	2.4	NR
Karki et al. 2009²⁹	NR	NR	NR		NR	NR	NR		NR	NR	11.5		NR	NR	8.5		NR	NR	NR

C, clinic; H, home; NR, not reported; SD, standard deviation; *P < 0.05.

^a Bleeding heavier than a normal menstrual bleed.