Medication abortion via telehealth is just as safe and effective as with a clinic visit, study shows
CNN
Research has long found that medication abortion is safe and effective, but a new study shows that to be true even when the patient gets the medicine through a telehealth appointment.
Research has long found that medication abortion is safe and effective, but a new study shows that to be true even when the patient gets the medicine through a telehealth appointment. Medication abortion, also known as medical abortion, is the method by which someone ends their pregnancy using pills rather than a surgical procedure. It’s the most common form of abortion in the United States. It’s also come under fire recently. In April, a Texas judge suspended the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in the practice in the United States. The medication is still available while the ruling is under review by the US Supreme Court. US providers have offered telehealth services for medication abortion at some level since around 2008, but it became a much more widely used option during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, the FDA said it would no longer require an in-person appointment for a provider to dispense the drugs, making way for more virtual appointments in states where abortion and telehealth for abortion aren’t banned. The latest study, published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine, shows that with very rare exceptions, telehealth for medication abortion is effective and safe, whether the person uses a secure form of texting or a video call. Most of the participants in the study worked with a provider through text, although they could also have a followup call or videoconference. The study looked at records from 6,034 medication abortions provided via telehealth between April 2021 and January 2022 at three virtual clinics that operate in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The effectiveness and safety of medication abortion provided through video and text appointments was found to be similar to numbers in other studies involving in-person medication abortion care.
Relying on testing to guide vaccination recalls an approach the United States tried in the 1980s and early ’90s that still led to thousands of cases of hepatitis B among children every year.
The pair’s matching orange outfits were an exercise in clever marketing, and will no doubt go down in the celebrity couple dressing hall of fame.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking abortion trends for decades, but this year’s report — including some of the earliest federal data reflecting the effect of significant changes to abortion access nationwide – has been pushed back until spring amid turmoil at the federal agency.
A three-hour movie about the fading art of kabuki has broken box office records in Japan. It may already be prompting a revival.
One of Britain’s most acclaimed photographers, Martin Parr, died on Saturday at age 73, his foundation said.
On Monday, the actor wore an outfit that riled up the internet. The reactions perhaps makes more sense when you consider the journey her public image has had lately.
In significant move so far, the newly appointed US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisers voted Friday to abandon universal hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, a massive shift in US immunization policy that experts say will lead to increased illness.
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are meeting today on what could be a major change to the childhood vaccination schedule. Follow here for live updates.
In a meeting punctuated by conflict and confusion, the independent vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday again delayed a vote that could dramatically change hepatitis B vaccination practice in the United States.
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are meeting today, and they could vote on possible changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Follow here for live updates from the meeting.
One of the last Fabergé eggs in private hands sold on Tuesday, breaking its own record as the most expensive work by the Russian jeweler ever to appear at auction.
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may vote this week to make a major change to the childhood vaccine schedule, potentially delaying a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine given to newborns by weeks or even years.
Holiday decorations, of all things, have been a particular source of controversy for Melania Trump. But the 2025 White House Christmas decorations sung a different tune as the elusive first lady steps back into the spotlight.