Among 2,299 patients on whom first-trimester abortions were performed after administration of local anesthesia, 97 per cent reported experiencing some degree of pain. Independent ratings of the pain severity were obtained from the patients and also from the doctors and counselors who observed them. Although the rating procedures used by patients from those used by doctors and counselors, the three sources agreed significantly in evaluating pain levels of individual patients. Data from all three sources indicated that pain produced during the abortion procedure tended to be minor in severity. The ranking of relative painfulness of the eight stages of the aborton procedure based on average ratings obtained from doctors was nearly identical to that based on average ratings obtained from counselors. (Patients did not rate the separate stages.) On average, the patients rated the pain as being less than earache or toothache, but more than headache or bachache. The youngest patients experienced the most pain, and the oldest experienced the least. Both gestational age and cervical dilatation were related to pain in a curvilinear fashion, i.e., for both variables, patients in extreme categories experienced more pain than those in intermediate categories. Preprocedure fearfulness was positively related to intraoperative pain. No support was found for the expectation that oral administration of 5 mg. of diazepam reduces pain during this procedure.
PIP: In order to quantify the pain associated with first trimester abortions and to analyze its influences, patient observations by doctors and attending counselors and patient interviews were conducted. Of the 2299 patients, 86% received 20 cc of lidocaine as paracervical anesthesia (14% received less) and 76% choose to receive 5 mg oral diazepam preoperatively (4% received 3-8 intravenously during the procedure). Patients compared their pain with other familiar types of pain. Doctors and counselors rated the pain during each of 8 specific stages of the abortion (examination, speculum insertion, tenaculum placement, administration of paracervical local anesthesia, uterine sounding, cervical dilatation, vacuum aspiration, and sharp curettage) as compared with the average pain they had observed. In addition, counselors rated the degree of apprehension with which the patient faced the procedure. These methods were analyzed on the basis of internal consistency among each group and agreement across the 3 sources and were found to be sufficiently dependable for the purpose at hand. The pain most often experienced was less severe than an earache or toothache, more severe than a menstrual pain or headache. Physicians and counselors agreed that vacuum aspiration is the most painful stage followed by dilatation and sharp curettage. Pain was positively associated with 1) age of 15 years or less, 2) with gestation of less than 7 weeks or more than 12 and with dilatation on a curvilnear basis, and 3) with patient fear. Despite expectations to the contrary, administration of 5 mg oral diazepam did not reduce pain.