Gynuity’s TelAbortion Study Will Stop Enrolling at the End of this Month

Gynuity’s TelAbortion Study, a groundbreaking research project designed to evaluate the use of telemedicine for providing medication abortion in the U.S., will stop enrolling at the end of this month.

We launched the TelAbortion study in 2016 at a time when provision of abortion by telemedicine was a newly emerging idea with little documentation available for policymakers. Further, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dispensing restrictions prohibited the mailing of abortion medication outside of our study setting.

Five years down the line, it now seems the right time to move on and ask new questions.

Our research has shown that this model of abortion care, which allows people to be counselled by video or phone call and receive the medications through the mail, is safe, effective, and desirable to patients.

The findings from our recent paper summarizing the expansion of the TelAbortion study during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate that outcomes are comparable to in-clinic care. This paper was the primary source cited in the FDA’s decision to suspend the in-person mifepristone dispensing requirements for the duration of the pandemic. The FDA is now reviewing the full range of restrictions currently placed on mifepristone.

We have created an important legacy that will impact positively the lives of people wanting an abortion in the U.S., increasing options for those who have trouble getting to a clinic or choose to manage their abortion this way. Participants in our study report being very satisfied, and consistently note that privacy and convenience are the best features of this service.

We are extremely proud of what we have achieved in partnership with clinical providers across the U.S. None of this work would have been possible without them. We are delighted that this direct-to-user telemedicine abortion service will continue to be offered beyond our research project.