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Narratives of women presenting with abortion complications in Southwestern Nigeria: A qualitative study
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, Vol 14, Iss 5, p e0217616 (2019), PLoS ONE
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2019.
-
Abstract
- Unsafe abortion continues to impact negatively on women's health in countries with restrictive abortion laws. It remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity. Paradoxically, modern contraceptive prevalence remains low and the unmet need for contraception continues to mirror unwanted pregnancy rates in many countries within sub-Saharan Africa. This qualitative study assessed women's knowledge; their expectation and experiences of the methods employed for abortion; and their health care-seeking decisions following a complicated abortion. Women who presented with abortion complications were purposively sampled from seven health facilities in south-west Nigeria. In-depth interviews were conducted by social scientists with the aid of a semi-structured interview guide. Coding schemes were developed and content analysis was performed with WEFTQDA software. Thirty-one women were interviewed. Misoprostol was used by 16 women; 15 women used other methods. About one-fifth of respondents were aged ≤ 20 years; almost one-third were students. Common reasons for terminating a pregnancy were: "too young/still in school/training"; "has enough number of children"; "last baby too young" and "still breastfeeding". Women had little knowledge about methods used. Friends, nurses or pharmacists were the commonest sources of information. Awareness about use of misoprostol for abortion among women was high. Women used misoprostol to initiate an abortion and were often disappointed if misoprostol did not complete the abortion process. Given its clandestine manner, women were financially exploited by the abortion providers and only presented to hospitals for post-abortion care as a last resort. Women's narratives of their abortion experience highlight the difficulties and risks women encounter to safeguard and protect their sexual and reproductive health. To reduce unsafe abortion therefore, urgent and synergized efforts are required to promote prompt access to family planning and post-abortion care services.
- Subjects :
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Medical Doctors
Maternal Health
Health Care Providers
Breastfeeding
Nurses
Sex Education
Abortion
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Vascular Medicine
Geographical Locations
0302 clinical medicine
Pregnancy
Unsafe abortion
Medicine and Health Sciences
Medical Personnel
030212 general & internal medicine
Termination of Pregnancy
Child
Misoprostol
reproductive and urinary physiology
Reproductive health
Multidisciplinary
Drug Information
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Pregnancy, Unwanted
Professions
Contraception
Maternal Mortality
Family planning
Medicine
Female
Research Article
medicine.drug
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Science
030231 tropical medicine
Nigeria
Hemorrhage
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
Signs and Symptoms
Diagnostic Medicine
medicine
Humans
Female Contraception
Pharmacology
business.industry
Abortion, Induced
medicine.disease
Health Care
Family medicine
People and Places
Africa
Women's Health
Population Groupings
business
Qualitative research
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 14
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLOS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5d086478bc778bc515e68d1453be2ecb
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217616