Abstract

With the liberalization of abortion laws by the Supreme Court in 1973, American women have been able to obtain therapeutic abortions in hospitals and out-patient clinics in ever increasing numbers. With the increased number of women seeking abortions the medical field has responded with abortion procedures that are safe and relatively quick. With the speed doctors use to perform the procedure, many women may wish to take advantage of the medically safer method of abortion under local anesthesia. However, some women are unable to withstand the psychological and physical stress associated with a therapeutic abortion while awake. It would be helpful if the clinics could determine beforehand those women who might suffer adverse reactions to an abortion while awake.

Epidemiologic investigation into the area of abortion, its causes and recipients, has been done. Demographic data has been used to predict and project with some accuracy those women who would need a therapeutic abortion.

A demographic profile of women who were likely to suffer an adverse reaction to a therapeutic abortion while awake was made. It was assumed that the patient's demographic data on the record was correct. It was assumed that the physician treated all women in a similar manner during the procedure. Another area that could have influenced the outcome of the study was the ability of the counselor to develop a rapport with the woman before the abortion was started.

The test population of this study used the facilities of Concern Health Center, a non-profit out-patient clinic located in Riverside, California. The sample consisted originally of 100 women who had under gone a therapeutic abortion while awake from December 15, 1975 to April 15, 1976. Demographic data of ethnic background, age, educational status, marital status, and data from the obstetric history regarding gravida, parity, previous spontaneous and induced abortions was obtained from the patient during the admission procedure. A post procedure interview was held with the patient by the attendant counselor or nurse to determine the adverse reaction, if any, that the patient had suffered. These were recorded on the patient record. They consisted of pain (mild, moderate, severe), nausea, vomiting, sob, cry, pallor, hyperventilation, diaphoresis, and vasovagul reaction.

The null hypothesis was stated "There is no difference in demographic factors and obstetric histories as found in the medical records of women experiencing adverse reactions and those women not experiencing adverse reactions at the time of the therapeutic abortion while awake."

Data analysis was made by computer to correlate any association or relationship between the adverse reactions and the demographic and obstetric factors. Two tests, the t-test and the Chi2 test were used to test the correlation and were considered significant at the .05 level.

Out of the 100 women in this study, 11 black and 5 Spanish-American women were dropped from the study because statistical analysis would not have been significant in such a small sample with the number of multiple variables. The sample studies consisted of 84 Caucasian women.

In the data analysis the age factor was related to three adverse reactions, nausea, vomiting, and severe pain. The women experiencing these reactions were over the mean age of 25 years while those not experiencing the reactions were under 22 years. Women of higher educational status seemed to experience no nausea more than those less educated. Religion and marital status showed no relationship to the adverse reactions which was unexpected. The researcher expected religion to make a difference how the woman coped with the actual abortion itself.

Obstetric history showed relationships between the number of pregnancies and nausea and vasovagul reaction; between the number of children and vomiting; between the number of previous spontaneous abortions and nausea, sobbing, and vasovagul reaction.

The null hypothesis was rejected due to the multiplicity of factors to be compared with the occurrence of adverse reactions. However, there was a trend for the demographic variables of age, educational status, and spontaneous abortion to have an association with several of the closely related adverse reactions of nausea and vomiting.

Demographic and obstetric history data, best predict or identify women at risk of adverse reactions of nausea and vasovagul reaction. Even though the null hypothesis was rejected in this study further research using a planned interview for data base might yield more positive results. Study should be given to demographic factors in women having no adverse reactions during a local therapeutic abortion. This study does not negate the necessity of searching for risk factors. It could be possible that the factors studied in this study were not risk factors at all but normal responses to the abortion. If that is all this study showed then it was still worthwhile.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Ruth M. White

Second Advisor

Frances P. Miller

Third Advisor

Phyllis M. Williams

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1977

Date (Title Page)

5-1977

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Abortion, Therapeutic

Type

Thesis

Page Count

viii; 58

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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