Women who undergo surgery due to an early pregnancy failure usually are treated in an operating room, often under general anesthesia, but a new study raises questions about whether women prefer that approach.

Early pregnancy failure - or EPF - occurs in 14 to 19 percent of recognized pregnancies. Cases treated with surgery typically haven’t been performed in an office-based setting, even while many other procedures have moved from the OR to the office. Now, a study from the University of Michigan Health System suggests that many women would choose the option of having the procedure done in the relative privacy of an office, without general anesthesia.

“We found that managing an early pregnancy failure in the office is an acceptable option for many women,” says Vanessa K. Dalton, M.D., MPH, lead author of the study, which appeared recently in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. “This is a real shift in the way we can approach the care of women with EPF. Many other procedures have moved from the operating room into an ambulatory setting, but for the most part, the management of EPF has not.

“This is a difficult experience for women, and we want to make sure that we are offering them the type of care that works best for them and which they prefer,” Dalton says.

Link