Many American women feel uninformed about potential complications from medication abortions, according to a Charlotte Lozier Institute study obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
52.5% of participants cited bleeding as the abortion-related complication they wanted more information about than was provided during the informed consent process.
Forty-eight percent said pain was the complication they desired more information about, while 33.7% mentioned mental and emotional health. Another 29.3% said incomplete abortion with retained tissue was the complication they wanted more clarity on, and 21.3% cited failed abortion with continued living fetus.
“These findings raise real questions about whether women are being given all the information they want and need to be fully informed.”
CLI Senior Research Associate Tessa Cox told the DCNF the results underscore a serious reality: informed consent for abortion drugs needs to be far more than just a box to check.
Cox added that given the increasing availability of abortion drugs online and through the mail, there are serious ramifications not only as the lives of unborn babies are ended but also as women’s safety is put at risk.
CLI’s research found that some of the most frequently listed complications women experienced were unexpected levels of bleeding and pain. Nearly 5% of respondents reported other abortion-related complications such as incomplete abortion with retained tissue and the need for additional treatment.
The emotional responses most commonly reported by participants included relief, sadness, anxiety, guilt, depression, stress and grief. Nineteen percent of respondents reported feeling happiness, 17.4% said they felt regret, 14.4% felt anger, and 6.3% expressed a desire to stop or reverse the abortion.
The study also found that experiencing pain and bleeding was a point of confusion for many women, as they felt unsure whether their experience was normal when it was just spotting bleeding and light cramping as they expected loads of blood and pain.
“Healthcare providers should seek ways to enhance women’s informed consent for medication abortion.”
CLI Associate Scholar Maka Tsulukidze, the lead study author, told the DCNF the study’s design allowed them to draw on two independent sources of evidence pointing in the same direction. When findings converge like this, it gives greater confidence that researchers are capturing something real about women’s experiences.
An estimated 1,126,000 clinician-provided abortions were conducted in the U.S. in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The study’s survey eligibility criteria included women aged 23 to 55 who obtained medication abortion in the U.S. The final sample included 508 women, 362 of whom responded.
