Early Options: Module 3 - Counseling for Medical Abortion

Early Options - A Provider's Guide to Medical Abortion

The on-line CME post-test will follow this module. However, we strongly urge you to print out the CME Post-Test Questions before starting this module to help guide you through the material.

Objectives
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
1. Identify important counseling points for discussing differences between medical and surgical abortion
2. Describe components of telephone and office-based counseling for medical abortion
3. Review the essential aspects of counseling throughout the medical abortion process

Introduction
Patient counseling is an integral component of abortion services. Women's satisfaction with the abortion care they receive correlates with the quality of education and counseling that they receive.

The goal of abortion counseling is to provide both information and support that women need to complete all aspects of the procedure. Counseling often assumes a larger role in medical abortion than in surgical abortion because the success of the medical method depends in part upon a woman's sustained participation throughout a multistep process.

The availability of mifepristone in the United States has generated significant media attention to the topic of medical abortion. Some women may learn about the procedure through the press or from friends and, based on this information, specifically request this option. Counselors may need to correct misconceptions as well as help women understand the differences between medical abortion and vacuum aspiration.

This module is designed to assist practitioners in their role as educators and counselors. It covers the many aspects of medical abortion counseling, including initial screening, the steps of the procedure itself, and the period of follow-up care.

To choose a different module, visit Module Overviews.

Proceed to The Importance of Counseling.

References for this module