Abortion in women with severe preeclampsia and eclampsia prior to 24 weeks gestation.

OBJECTIVE

Due to poor prognosis, obstetric care providers often recommend abortion for women diagnosed with severe preeclampsia prior to fetal viability. However, there is limited available evidence to guide the counseling regarding risks.

STUDY DESIGN

This study is a retrospective case series that describes outcomes of all women who underwent abortions with the diagnosis of severe preeclampsia or eclampsia prior to 24 weeks gestation.

RESULTS

This case series describes 11 women who underwent abortion prior to 24 weeks gestation due to severe preeclampsia or eclampsia, 9 by dilation and evacuation and 2 by labor induction. The majority of women underwent dilation and evacuation and no women undergoing either induction of labor or dilation and evacuation had severe complications directly related to the abortion.

CONCLUSIONS

This case series provides information on the safety of abortion procedures in women with severe preeclampsia and eclampsia syndrome.