Medical or procedural abortion may not increase risk of psychotropic medication use after five years

1. Among a Danish population-based cohort study, increased initiation of psychotropic medication in the first year following both medical and procedural methods of abortion were found, with decreased risk of initiation of psychotropic medication within five or more years following both medical and procedural abortions. 

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

There is limited research on whether medical or procedural abortion methods increases the risk of mental health issues requiring psychotropic medication. In this cohort study, 67390 females born between 1980 to 2006 and who received a first trimester abortion between 2000 to 2018 were identified. 33793 of these women received a medical abortion, while 33597 received a procedural abortion. There was an increased risk of first psychotropic medication use associated with the first year after a medical abortion, with incidence rate ratios (IRR) being 1.10 (95% CI, 1.02-1.19, p = 0.01), as well as within the first year after a procedural abortion (IRR =1.11, 95% CI, 1.02-1.22, p = 0.02). There was decreased risk of first psychotropic medication initiation more than 5 years afterwards for both medical abortion (IRR=0.83, 95% CI, 0.76-0.92, p<0.001) and for procedural abortion (IRR=0.92, 95% CI, 0.85-0.99, p=0.03). Overall, this study found no evidence that worsening mental health requiring psychotropic medication was more strongly associated with one abortion method than another. Any increased likelihood of psychotropic medication initiation was concentrated within the first year following an abortion, with no significant association observed five years later.

Click here to read this study in JAMA Psychiatry

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