Menstrual Regulation - A Pilot Study in Jakarta

Abstract

A study to evaluate the possible implementation of a menstrual regulation service for fertility control in Jakarta Indonesia is presented. 189 women amenorrheic for up to 14 days underwent the procedure and no failures were reported. 45.5% of the group were diagnosed as pregnant at the time of the procedure and 88.8% of the positive Prognosticon pregnancy test readings were confirmed. Cervical laceration was the most common immediate complication (15.3%). Delayed complications such as adnexitis fever and bleeding occurred in 11 cases and 9 patients suffered pelvic infection. The high incidence of cervical laceration is attributed to the use of the tenaculum which reflects the need for physician training. After menstrual regulation the use of conventional contraception declined from 49.7% of the women to 15.9% with oral contraceptive use increasing from 23.8% to 50.3% and IUD acceptors increasing from 22.8% to 23.8%. It was concluded that menstrual regulation is a simple effective inexpensive and effective procedure for preventing unwanted pregnancy.