29 of 36 women maintained pregnancies after taking abortion pill reversal: survey

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, January 23, 2024

A majority of women who underwent abortion pill reversal in an attempt to save their unborn baby said that decision was much easier than the agonizing decision to take abortion pills to terminate their pregnancy, according to a new study.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the pro-life advocacy group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, surveyed 36 women who had undergone the abortion pill reversal (APR) process. The study, published on Dec. 5 in Cureus, asked the women whether their decisions to pursue an abortion and then a reversal were “very difficult, somewhat difficult, neither easy nor difficult, somewhat easy, [or] very easy.”

In a medication abortion, women are given two drugs: mifepristone (also known as RU-486) and misoprostol. Mifepristone works by blocking the effects of the natural pregnancy hormone progesterone. Misoprostol induces contractions and a miscarriage.

Because mifepristone blocks progesterone, pregnant mothers seeking APR are given a high dose of progesterone to hold the baby in place.

All of the women who responded to the survey had contacted an APR hotline within 72 hours of taking mifepristone. One woman ultimately chose to have an abortion. However, 18 other women surveyed delivered their babies to term. Six of the pregnant women suffered a miscarriage despite attempting an abortion reversal, and the remaining 11 were still pregnant at the time of the study’s conclusion.

“Of the eight women who said that their partners wanted APR, seven described their decision-making as very or somewhat easy (88%), while only 54% (n = 15) of women whose partners did not want APR or were ambivalent described their decision-making as easy, although the difference was not significant,” the report stated.

In contrast, two women characterized their decision to take the abortion pills as either “very or somewhat easy,” with one having a partner who wanted her to have an abortion and the other whose partner did not want her to terminate their baby.

The research also examined the level of stigma experienced by women when seeking either a medication abortion or APR. Higher scores on a five-point scale indicated a higher level of stigma. On average, women whose partners did not want them to take the abortion pills experienced a higher level of stigma (2.37) than women whose partners either wanted them to have the abortion or were ambivalent or uninvolved in their decision (1.60).

The survey also asked respondents to elaborate on the circumstances that led them to seek a medication abortion in the first place.

One woman said she struggled with her decision to have an abortion the day she obtained the pills. “I chose to take the medication after an hour at the clinic contemplating it.”

“I called my mother beforehand, hoping she’d say no don’t do it,” she recalled. “She did at one point but then left it up to me. I even asked the doctor for his opinion, and he said it’s up to you, but saying you’re doing the right thing considering the fact I told him my boyfriend didn’t want to.”

Another respondent detailed how she “was pressured into abortion by my ex and his sister, and the provider gave it to me on the spot without time to think.” She added, “I always wanted to keep her (the baby).”

The survey also examined respondents’ experiences with APR.

“I went to Planned Parenthood and took the first dose of a medicinal abortion,” one woman said. “When I was leaving the office, I felt a sudden sense of regret and pulled over on the highway. I did some quick googling and came across the APR hotline number and contacted them almost immediately (within 25 minutes of taking the first dose of the medicated abortion). After speaking with a provider, I made the decision to go forth with the progesterone reversal.”

A separate woman offered a more detailed account of her experience with APR: “As soon as I got into my car I snapped back into reality and almost couldn’t believe what just happened. I started driving and before I even got onto the highway, I pulled over and started feverishly searching through my phone for a magic UNDO button. And there it was: the APR program. I called them from the side of the road. I didn’t even know where I was but I needed to figure this out.

“They asked me a ton of questions and told me that the sooner I did something the better the chances are that we would see success,” she added. “She immediately walked me through the steps, the chances, the process. I told myself right then and there that this was the right thing for me to do. … I got home and I picked up the prescription for the progesterone. Still sitting on my passenger seat were the step 2 pills for the medicated abortion. I felt like I was holding my life in my hands.”

While the woman described APR as an “extremely difficult” process that made her “so sick” and “really pushed my body to its limits,” she stated that she was now “30 weeks pregnant and thankful for the program and [felt] so blessed.”

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com