Prophylactic antibiotics for suction curettage abortion: results of a clinical controlled trial.

The prophylactic use of 300 mg doxycycline at the time of an abortion was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. In the group with negative chlamydia screening results, only two (0.4%) of 502 patients who received prophylactic treatment developed pelvic infection, compared with 15 (3.0%) of 497 patients who received placebos (p = 0.001). The same effectiveness was found in women with positive chlamydia screening results. Vomiting was the major side effect of the medication and could limit its use. A simulation of selective prophylaxis in women with negative chlamydia screening results showed that its selective use in patients with a history of gonorrhea or in nulliparous women with multiple sex partners could be nearly two thirds as effective as general prophylaxis.