Publications
Termination of early pregnancy in Ireland: Review of the first four years of inpatient service at a tertiary maternity unit
Medical terminations of pregnancy before 12 weeks’ gestation conducted in the hospital setting are efficient and safe. We advocate for removal of the 3-day waiting period, expansion of services to provide care to rural communities, and additional training to ensure sustainability.
- Authors
Carolina Uribe, Katie Togher, Sara Leitao, Keelin O'Donoghue, Deirdre Hayes-Ryan
- Year
- 2025
- Journal Name
- Irish Journal of Sociology
- Category
- Journal Article
- Keywords
- Audit / Service evaluation, Termination of pregnancy
- Project
- Full Citation
Uribe C, Togher KL, Leitao S, O’Donoghue K, Hayes-Ryan D. Termination of early pregnancy in Ireland: Review of the first four years of inpatient service at a tertiary maternity unit. Irish Journal of Sociology. 2025;33(1-2),149-162. https://doi.org/10.1177/07916035251342113.
- Link to Publication
- https://doi.org/10.1177/07916035251342113
Abstract
In 2019, termination of pregnancy (TOP) services were established in Ireland following a change to the law. Under Section 12 of the Health Act, TOP is permitted without restriction until 12 weeks + 0 days of pregnancy (‘gestation’). We reviewed medical records of people who had a medical TOP under Section 12 in our hospital between 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2022. We included 149 individuals in our analysis. Gestational age (over 9 weeks + 0 days) was the primary reason for hospital TOP (81%) with 44% of the cohort over 11 weeks + 0 days gestation. Misoprostol was provided within the recommended 24–48 hours from mifepristone in 75% of cases. After taking one course of the medication dose, 9% of individuals needed more doses of misoprostol to complete the termination. Haemorrhage with blood loss over 500 ml occurred in 4% of cases, with no other major complications reported. Our study is the first reported review of the efficacy and complications of the newly established Irish TOP service. Findings highlight the importance of timely access to care given the strict legal gestational cut-off. Variations in practice, specifically in timing of medication administration, were also shown.