Sima Samar had just graduated from the Kabul University School of Medicine, in 1982, when the Soviet invasion forced her to flee to central Afghanistan. "I began seeing patients immediately, but I often had to run to my book to identify symptoms and treatments, and then I had to find out whether the necessary medicine was even available. I saw women die every day because of incomplete abortion ...

Zambia has one of the most liberal abortion laws in sub-Saharan Africa. However, rates of unsafe abortion remain high with negative health and economic consequences. Little is known about the economic burden on women of abortion care-seeking in low income countries. The majority of studies focus on direct costs (e.g. hospital fees). This article estimates the individual-level economic burden of...

OBJECTIVE This review aims to provide the latest global and regional estimates of the incidence and trends in induced abortion, both safe and unsafe. A related objective is to document maternal mortality due to unsafe abortion. The legal context of abortion and the international discourse on preventing unsafe abortion are reviewed to highlight policy implications and challenges in preventing un...

BACKGROUND Complications of abortion are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, along with hemorrhage, sepsis, and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. In Afghanistan little data exist on the capacity of the health system to provide post-abortion care (PAC). This paper presents findings from a national emergency obstetric and neonatal care needs assessment related to PAC, wit...

INTRODUCTION Efficacy and safety of expectant management of first trimester miscarriage are well known, though the patients' perceptions and attitudes are less clear. This study was designed to understand the women's perception of symptoms, acceptability, fertility wishes and care received. METHODS A qualitative study among 25 women who were allocated to the expectant management arm of a rand...

Background: Nutritional anaemia in pregnant women is one of the India’s major public health problems, despite the fact that this problem is largely preventable & easily treatable. Objectives: 1.To determine the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women. 2. To assess the epidemiological determinants of anaemia in pregnancy. Methodology: A descriptive case series study was conducted among the pregn...

BACKGROUND In Bangladesh, abortion is restricted except to save the life of a woman, but menstrual regulation is allowed to induce menstruation and return to non-pregnancy after a missed period. MR services are typically provided through the Directorate General of Family Planning, while postabortion care services for incomplete abortion are provided by facilities under the Directorate General o...

BACKGROUND Factors such as poverty, stigma, lack of knowledge about the legal status of abortion, and geographical distance from a provider may prevent women from accessing safe abortion services, even where abortion is legal. Data on the consequences of abortion denial outside of the US, however, are scarce. METHODS In this article we present data from studies among women seeking legal abort...

RATIONALE Most research in mental health and abortion has examined factors associated with post-abortion psychological health. However, research that follows women from before to after their abortion consistently finds that depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms are highest just before an abortion compared to any time afterwards. OBJECTIVE This finding suggests that studies investigating ps...

BACKGROUND Although repeat induced abortion is common, data concerning characteristics of women undergoing this procedure are lacking. We conducted this study to identify the characteristics, including history of physical abuse by a male partner and history of sexual abuse, of women who present for repeat induced abortion. METHODS We surveyed a consecutive series of women presenting for initi...