Drug may ease emotional pain after pregnancy loss procedure

This study tests whether giving a medicine called dexmedetomidine during a second-trimester dilation and evacuation (D&E) can lower feelings of grief and stress after the procedure. About 100 people having a D&E in the operating room will be randomly assigned to receive the drug or a placebo. The goal is to see if calming the body's stress response during the procedure can prevent severe grief or post-traumatic stress symptoms in the weeks that follow.