Cancer and Pregnancy in the Post-Roe v. Wade Era: A Comprehensive Review.

Cancer during pregnancy, affecting 1 in 1000 pregnancies, is rising in incidence due to delayed childbearing and improved detection. Common types include breast cancer, melanoma and cervical cancer and Hodgkin's Lymphoma. There are several physiological changes that occur during pregnancy that make its management a challenge to clinicians. Managing it requires multidisciplinary approaches and cautious test interpretation due to overlapping symptoms. To minimize fetal radiation exposure, non-ionizing imaging is preferred, and the interpretation of tumor markers is challenging due to inflammation and pregnancy effects. In terms of treatment, chemotherapy is avoided in the first trimester but may be considered later. Immunotherapy's safety is under investigation, and surgery depends on gestational age and cancer type. Ethical and legal concerns are growing, especially with changes in U.S. abortion laws. Access to abortion for medical reasons is vital for pregnant cancer patients needing urgent treatment. Maternal outcomes may depend on the type of cancer as well as chemotherapy received but, in general, they are similar to the non-pregnant population. Fetal outcomes are usually the same as the general population with treatment exposure from the second trimester onwards. Fertility preservation may be an important component of the treatment discussion depending on the patient's wishes, age and type of treatment. This article addresses the complicated nature of a diagnosis of cancer in pregnancy, touching upon the known medical literature as well as the ethical-legal implications of such a diagnosis, whose importance has increased in the light of recent judicial developments.

Comparison of Medical Abortion with Manual Vacuum Aspiration in Termination of Pregnancy up to Nine Weeks.

BACKGROUND: Nepal government has legalized abortion and approved both medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration for first trimester pregnancy. However, there is inadequate evidence in our setup to comment on the acceptability and complications of medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration for termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks of gestation. The objective of this study is to compare the reasons for termination of pregnancy, effectiveness and complications between medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration in termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks. METHODS: A comparative study was conducted among women requesting termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks of gestation in Comprehensive Abortion Care unit of Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital. Women were kept in medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration groups after they chose the method. They were advised for follow up in two weeks. Reasons for termination, effectiveness and complications of medical abortion and manual vacuum aspiration were compared using Chi square test. RESULTS: In a total of 160 women, the most common reason for termination of pregnancy was completion of the family. In manual vacuum aspiration group 43 (58.9%) women had minimal per vaginal bleeding while 30 (40.54%) women in medical abortion group had per vaginal bleeding for 6-10 days(p less than 0.001). Rate of complete abortion in medical abortion group was 85.14% (n=63) and in manual vacuum aspiration group was 93.15% (n=68). CONCLUSIONS: The complications following medical abortion were higher than manual vacuum aspiration in termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks. Rate of completeness of abortion following manual vacuum aspiration is superior over medical abortion.

Measurement of abortion safety using community-based surveys: Findings from three countries.

This study aimed to measure abortion safety in Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, and Rajasthan, India using population-based abortion data from representative samples of reproductive age women. Interviewers asked women separately about their experience with "pregnancy removal" and "period regulation at a time when you were worried you were pregnant", and collected details on method(s) and source(s) of abortion. We operationalized safety along two dimensions: 1) whether the method(s) used were non-recommended and put the woman at potentially high risk of abortion related morbidity and mortality (i.e. methods other than surgery and medication abortion drugs); and 2) whether the source(s) used involved a non-clinical (or no) provider(s). We combined source and method information to categorize a woman's abortion into one of four safety categories. In Nigeria (n = 1,800), 29.1% of abortions involved a recommended method and clinical provider, 5.4% involved a recommended method and non-clinical provider, 2.1% involved a non-recommended method and clinical provider, and 63.4% involved a non-recommended method and non-clinical provider. The corresponding estimates were 32.7%, 3.0%, 1.9%, and 62.4% in Cote d'Ivoire (n = 645) and 39.7%, 25.5%, 3.4%, and 31.4% in Rajasthan (n = 454). Results demonstrate that abortion safety, as measured by abortion related process data, is generally low but varies significantly by legal context. The policy and programmatic strategies employed to improve abortion safety and quality of care are likely to differ for women in different abortion safety categories.

What Is New in Abortion Care?: Best Articles From the Past Year.

This month we focus on current research in abortion care. Dr. Allen discusses five recent publications, which are concluded with a "bottom line" that is the take-home message. A complete reference for each can be found on on this page along with direct links to the abstracts.

Safe and unsafe abortions: Total monetary costs and health care system costs in Argentina in 2018. / Abortos seguros e inseguros: Costos monetarios totales y costos para el sistema de salud de la Argentina en 2018.

During the first semester of 2018, a profound debate on the legalization of the practice of abortion was initiated in Argentina, which exposed the lack of scientific studies addressing the economic dimension of abortion in this country. This work seeks to move forward in the quantification of the costs of abortion under two scenarios: the current context of illegality and the potential costs if the recommended international protocols were applied in a context of legalization of the practice. The results of the comparison between, on the one hand, the total monetary costs in 2018 (private or out-of-pocket expenditure and costs for the health care system) of the current scenario of illegality and unsafe practice of abortion and, on the other hand, potential scenarios of safe practices, shows that a large amount of resources could be saved if the recommended protocols were implemented. These results proved to be robust after carrying out a series of sensitivity exercises on the main assumptions included in the comparisons.

Durante el primer semestre de 2018, en Argentina se inició un profundo debate sobre la legalización de la práctica del aborto, que puso en evidencia la falta de estudios científicos que aborden la dimensión económica del tema en la Argentina. Este trabajo busca avanzar en la cuantificación de los costos del aborto bajo dos escenarios: el del actual contexto de ilegalidad y los costos potenciales si se aplicaran los protocolos internacionales recomendados, en un contexto de legalización de la práctica. Los resultados de la comparación de los costos monetarios totales en 2018 (privados o de bolsillo y para el sistema de salud) del escenario actual de ilegalidad y práctica insegura del aborto, frente a escenarios potenciales de prácticas seguras, muestran que se podría ahorrar una gran cantidad de recursos si se implementaran los protocolos recomendados. Dichos resultandos, además, se muestran robustos al realizar una serie de ejercicios de sensibilidad sobre los principales supuestos incluidos en las comparaciones.

Abortos seguros e inseguros: Costos monetarios totales y costos para el sistema de salud de la Argentina en 2018 / Safe and unsafe abortions: Total monetary costs and health care system costs in Argentina in 2018

RESUMEN Durante el primer semestre de 2018, en Argentina se inició un profundo debate sobre la legalización de la práctica del aborto, que puso en evidencia la falta de estudios científicos que aborden la dimensión económica del tema en la Argentina. Este trabajo busca avanzar en la cuantificación de los costos del aborto bajo dos escenarios: el del actual contexto de ilegalidad y los costos potenciales si se aplicaran los protocolos internacionales recomendados, en un contexto de legalización de la práctica. Los resultados de la comparación de los costos monetarios totales en 2018 (privados o de bolsillo y para el sistema de salud) del escenario actual de ilegalidad y práctica insegura del aborto, frente a escenarios potenciales de prácticas seguras, muestran que se podría ahorrar una gran cantidad de recursos si se implementaran los protocolos recomendados. Dichos resultandos, además, se muestran robustos al realizar una serie de ejercicios de sensibilidad sobre los principales supuestos incluidos en las comparaciones.

ABSTRACT During the first semester of 2018, a profound debate on the legalization of the practice of abortion was initiated in Argentina, which exposed the lack of scientific studies addressing the economic dimension of abortion in this country. This work seeks to move forward in the quantification of the costs of abortion under two scenarios: the current context of illegality and the potential costs if the recommended international protocols were applied in a context of legalization of the practice. The results of the comparison between, on the one hand, the total monetary costs in 2018 (private or out-of-pocket expenditure and costs for the health care system) of the current scenario of illegality and unsafe practice of abortion and, on the other hand, potential scenarios of safe practices, shows that a large amount of resources could be saved if the recommended protocols were implemented. These results proved to be robust after carrying out a series of sensitivity exercises on the main assumptions included in the comparisons.

Five-Year Suicidal Ideation Trajectories Among Women Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of receiving compared with being denied an abortion on women's experiences of suicidal ideation over 5 years. METHOD: The authors recruited 956 women from 30 U.S. abortion facilities. Women were interviewed by telephone 1 week after their abortion visit, then every 6 months for 5 years. Women who received near-limit abortions were compared with women who were denied an abortion and carried their pregnancies to term (turnaway-birth group). Women completed the suicidal ideation items on the Brief Symptom Interview (BSI) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was used to assess imminent suicidality. Adjusted mixed-effects regression analyses accounting for clustering by site and individual were used to assess whether levels and trajectories of suicidality differed by group. RESULTS: One week after abortion seeking, 1.9% of the near-limit group and 1.3% of the turnaway-birth group reported any suicidal ideation symptoms on the BSI. Over the 5-year study period, the proportion of women with any suicidal ideation symptoms on the BSI declined significantly to 0.25% for women in the near-limit group and nonsignificantly to 0.21% for those in the turnaway-birth group. In four out of 7,247 observations (0.06%), women reported being imminently suicidal. There was no statistically significant differential loss to follow-up by baseline report of suicidal ideation or history of depression or anxiety. There were no statistically significant group differences on any suicidal ideation outcome over the 5-year study period. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of suicidal ideation were similarly low between women who had abortions and women who were denied abortions. Policies requiring that women be warned that they are at increased risk of becoming suicidal if they choose abortion are not evidence based.

Menstruation recovery in scar pregnancy patients undergoing UAE and curettage and its influencing factors.

This study aims to investigate the menstrual recovery outcome of scar pregnancy patients who received uterine artery embolization combined with curettage, and its influencing factors.The data of 119 patients with scar pregnancy, who received uterine artery embolization combined with curettage between December 2012 and December 2016 in Henan Provincival People's Hospital, were collected. The menstruation recovery of these patients was followed up, and factors that have influence on menstrual blood volume were analyzed using SPSS V.17.0.Follow-up data were available in 101/119 (84.9%) women. The median follow-up time was 22.7 months (range: 1.6-50.6 months); 58 (57.4%) patients had reduced menstrual blood volume, and 2 patients (2%) had amenorrhea. The proportion of patients with reduced menstrual blood volume, who were embolized with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), PVA combined with gelatin sponge, and gelatin sponge between < and ≥33 years old was 41.7% versus 66.7%, 40% versus 57.1% and 60.6% versus 68.0%. The average age of patients with reduced menstrual blood volume (34.3 years) was greater than patients with normal menstrual blood volume (31.4 years), but the difference was not statistically significant (P = .07).Reduced menstrual blood volume can occur in scar pregnancy patients who received uterine artery embolization combined with curettage. The influence of the embolic agent PVA on menstrual blood volume depends on age, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Effects of gestational age and the mode of surgical abortion on postabortion hemorrhage and fever: evidence from population-based reproductive health survey in Georgia.

BACKGROUND: Every year around 50 million unintended pregnancies worldwide are terminated by induced abortion. Even in countries, where it is legalized and performed in a safe environment, abortion carries some risk of complications for women. Findings of researchers on the factors that influence the sequelae of abortion are controversial and inconsistent. This study evaluates the effects of gestational age and the method of surgical abortion (i.e., dilatation and curettage and vacuum aspiration) on the most common abortion complications: postabortion hemorrhage and fever. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the data from the population-based Georgian Reproductive Health Survey 2010. Information on 1974 surgical abortions performed >30 days prior to the survey interview were analyzed during the study. Logistic regression statistical analysis was applied to compare the abortion sequelae that followed vacuum aspiration and dilatation and curettage at different gestational ages (<10 weeks and ≥10 weeks). We examined two major early abortion-related complications: postabortion hemorrhage and febrile morbidity (fever ≥38 °C). RESULTS: Postabortion hemorrhage was reported in 43 cases (1.9%), and febrile morbidity occurred in 44 cases (2%) among all of the surgical abortions. The abortions performed by dilatation and curettage were associated with an estimated fourfold increased risk of developing hemorrhage (OR 4.4, 95% CI 2.2-8.6) and a twofold increased risk of developing fever (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.17-4.79) compared with the abortions that were performed via vacuum aspiration. The risk of postabortion hemorrhage (OR 1.9, 95% CI 0.8-4.4) or fever (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.4-2.1) did not significantly differ at gestational age < 10 weeks and ≥10 weeks. CONCLUSION: Vacuum aspiration was associated with reduced risks of postabortion hemorrhage and fever compared to dilatation and curettage. Gestational age ≥ 10 weeks was not found to be a predictive factor of immediate postabortion complications: hemorrhage and fever.

Does information about abortion safety affect Texas voters' opinions about restrictive laws? A randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess whether information about abortion safety and awareness of abortion laws affect voters' opinions about medically unnecessary abortion regulations. STUDY DESIGN: Between May and June 2016, we randomized 1200 Texas voters to receive or not receive information describing the safety of office-based abortion care during an online survey about abortion laws using simple random assignment. We compared the association between receiving safety information and awareness of recent restrictions and beliefs that ambulatory surgical center (ASC) requirements for abortion facilities and hospital admitting privileges requirements for physicians would make abortion safer. We used Poisson regression, adjusting for political affiliation and views on abortion. RESULTS: Of 1200 surveyed participants, 1183 had complete data for analysis: 612 in the information group and 571 in the comparison group. Overall, 259 (46%) in the information group and 298 (56%) in the comparison group believed that the ASC requirement would improve abortion safety (p=.008); 230 (41%) in the information group and 285 (54%) in the comparison group believed that admitting privileges would make abortion safer (p<.001). After multivariable adjustment, the information group was less likely to report that the ASC [prevalence ratio (PR): 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72-0.94] and admitting privileges requirements (PR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.65-0.88) would improve safety. Participants who identified as conservative Republicans were more likely to report that the ASC (82%) and admitting privileges requirements (83%) would make abortion safer if they had heard of the provisions than if they were unaware of them (ASC: 52%; admitting privileges: 47%; all p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Informational statements reduced perceptions that restrictive laws make abortion safer. Voters' prior awareness of the requirements also was associated with their beliefs. IMPLICATIONS: Informational messages can shift scientifically unfounded views about abortion safety and could reduce support for restrictive laws. Because prior awareness of abortion laws does not ensure accurate knowledge about their effects on safety, it is important to reach a broad audience through early dissemination of information about new regulations.

Retrospective Evaluation of the Procedural Sedation Practices of Expert Nurses During Abortion Care.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the provision of procedural sedation during abortion by expert nurses and to describe the factors that are associated with time to discharge for women who receive this sedation. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were generated to describe a retrospective cohort of women presenting for abortion under procedural sedation. Analysis of variance was used to determine significant characteristics that influenced time to discharge. SETTING: A single clinical site that employs seven expert nurses. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 194 medical records were available for this analysis. RESULTS: All women were discharged home with accompaniment, and no incidents of respiratory distress or other adverse complications occurred. Most women (n = 136) received at least 150 µg fentanyl and 3 mg midazolam, and 71% of women in the first trimester and 83% of women in the second trimester entered the recovery area with no pain. Variables significantly associated with time spent in the recovery area were gestational age at time of abortion (t = -2.68, p = .008), pain at entry to recovery area (t = -0.254, p = .008), and pain at 15 minutes (t = 0.25, p = .038). CONCLUSION: Expert nurses can administer procedural sedation for pain control associated with abortion and are capable of monitoring women and helping them return to baseline status after the procedure.

Cost of abortions in Zambia: A comparison of safe abortion and post abortion care.

Unsafe abortion is a significant but preventable cause of maternal mortality. Although induced abortion has been legal in Zambia since 1972, many women still face logistical, financial, social, and legal obstacles to access safe abortion services, and undergo unsafe abortion instead. This study provides the first estimates of costs of post abortion care (PAC) after an unsafe abortion and the cost of safe abortion in Zambia. In the absence of routinely collected data on abortions, we used multiple data sources: key informant interviews, medical records and hospital logbooks. We estimated the costs of providing safe abortion and PAC services at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka and then projected these costs to generate indicative cost estimates for Zambia. Due to unavailability of data on the actual number of safe abortions and PAC cases in Zambia, we used estimates from previous studies and from other similar countries, and checked the robustness of our estimates with sensitivity analyses. We found that PAC following an unsafe abortion can cost 2.5 times more than safe abortion care. The Zambian health system could save as much as US$0.4 million annually if those women currently treated for an unsafe abortion instead had a safe abortion.

The impact of a liberalisation law on legally induced abortion hospitalisations.

OBJECTIVES: Legal abortion based purely in maternal option without fetal/maternal pathology was liberalised in Portugal in 2007 and since then abortion rates have increased substantially. The aim of this paper was to study the impact of the liberalisation of abortion by maternal request on total legal abortion related hospitalisation trends. STUDY DESIGN: We considered hospitalisations of legal abortion (ICD-9-CM codes 635.x) with discharges from 2000 to 2014. Data was obtained from a Portuguese administrative database, which contains all registered public hospitalisations in mainland Portugal. Performed legal abortions during the same period were obtained from INE (National Statistics Institute). Hospitalisations per abortion were calculated by dividing the number of legal abortions hospitalisations per the number of legal abortions, mean ages, number of hospitalisations per age group, complications, admission type and length of stay were also analysed, throughout the study period. RESULTS: Hospitalisations rose during the study period, (from 618 episodes in 2000 to 1,259 in 2014, with a peak of 1,603 in 2010). Since the liberalisation law was passed there was a significant decrease in the number of hospitalisations per abortion: from 1.07 in 2000 to 0.11 in 2014 (p<0.001). Furthermore, the mean age maintained stable since liberalisation (30.8 years before 2007 and 31.0 after). Abortion related hospitalisations are more frequent in women aged 25-39. A significant decrease from the emergent to the scheduled type of admission occurred from 2000 to 2014 (from 83.5% to 56.7% of emergent admissions) (p<0.001). Complications remained stable between 2000 and 2014 and delayed or excessive haemorrhage was the most frequent (4.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Since the liberalisation, hospitalisations per abortion have decreased, reflecting the major impact that the liberalisation of legal abortion by maternal request had on abortion trends nationwide. Before the liberalisation, each abortion led to approximately one hospitalisation while after the liberalisation this trend shifted to approximately 10% of the number of abortions. Legal abortion related hospitalisations are more frequent in women aged between 25 and 39 years old, an older age group when compared to the one registered in all cases of legal abortions, reflecting the differences between those hospitalised and those who are not. Our study shows the impact that legal abortion by maternal request liberalisation law can bring to abortion and to hospitalisation trends.

Mental Health Diagnoses 3 Years After Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: We set out to assess the occurrence of new depression and anxiety diagnoses in women 3 years after they sought an abortion. METHODS: We conducted semiannual telephone interviews of 956 women who sought abortions from 30 US facilities. Adjusted multivariable discrete-time logistic survival models examined whether the study group (women who obtained abortions just under a facility's gestational age limit, who were denied abortions and carried to term, who were denied abortions and did not carry to term, and who received first-trimester abortions) predicted depression or anxiety onset during seven 6-month time intervals. RESULTS: The 3-year cumulative probability of professionally diagnosed depression was 9% to 14%; for anxiety it was 10% to 15%, with no study group differences. Women in the first-trimester group and women denied abortions who did not give birth had greater odds of new self-diagnosed anxiety than did women who obtained abortions just under facility gestational limits. CONCLUSIONS: Among women seeking abortions near facility gestational limits, those who obtained abortions were at no greater mental health risk than were women who carried an unwanted pregnancy to term.

Doctors or mid-level providers for abortion.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends that abortion can be provided at the lowest level of the healthcare system. Training mid-level providers, such as midwives, nurses and other non-physician providers, to conduct first trimester aspiration abortions and manage medical abortions has been proposed as a way to increase women's access to safe abortion procedures. OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety and effectiveness of abortion procedures administered by mid-level providers compared to doctors. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the CENTRAL Issue 7, MEDLINE and POPLINE databases for comparative studies of doctor and mid-level providers of abortion services. We searched for studies published in any language from January 1980 until 15 August 2014. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (clustered or not clustered), prospective cohort studies or observational studies that compared the safety or effectiveness (or both) of any type of first trimester abortion procedure, administered by any type of mid-level provider or doctors, were eligible for inclusion in the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two independent review authors screened abstracts for eligibility and double-extracted data from the included studies using a pre-tested form. We meta-analysed primary outcome data using both fixed-effect and random-effects models to obtain pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We carried out separate analyses by study design (RCT or cohort) and type of abortion procedure (medical versus surgical). MAIN RESULTS: Eight studies involving 22,018 participants met our eligibility criteria. Five studies (n = 18,962) assessed the safety and effectiveness of surgical abortion procedures administered by mid-level providers compared to doctors. Three studies (n = 3056) assessed the safety and effectiveness of medical abortion procedures. The surgical abortion studies (one RCT and four cohort studies) were carried out in the United States, India, South Africa and Vietnam. The medical abortion studies (two RCTs and one cohort study) were carried out in India, Sweden and Nepal. The studies included women with gestational ages up to 14 weeks for surgical abortion and nine weeks for medical abortion.Risk of selection bias was considered to be low in the three RCTs, unclear in four observational studies and high in one observational study. Concealment bias was considered to be low in the three RCTs and high in all five observational studies. Although none of the eight studies performed blinding of the participants to the provider type, we considered the performance bias to be low as this is part of the intervention. Detection bias was considered to be high in all eight studies as none of the eight studies preformed blinding of the outcome assessment. Attrition bias was low in seven studies and high in one, with over 20% attrition. We considered six studies to have unclear risk of selective reporting bias as their protocols had not been published. The remaining two studies had published their protocols. Few other sources of bias were found.Based on an analysis of three cohort studies, the risk of surgical abortion failure was significantly higher when provided by mid-level providers than when procedures were administered by doctors (RR 2.25, 95% CI 1.38 to 3.68), however the quality of evidence for this outcome was deemed to be very low. For surgical abortion procedures, we found no significant differences in the risk of complications between mid-level providers and doctors (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.17 to 5.70 from RCTs; RR 1.38, 95% CI 0.70 to 2.72 from observational studies). When we combined the data for failure and complications for surgical abortion we found no significant differences between mid-level providers and doctors in both the observational study analysis (RR 1.36, 95% CI 0.86 to 2.14) and the RCT analysis (RR 3.07, 95% CI 0.16 to 59.08). The quality of evidence of the outcome for RCT studies was considered to be low and for observational studies very low. For medical abortion procedures the risk of failure was not different for mid-level providers or doctors (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.36 from RCTs; RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.88 from observational studies). The quality of evidence of this outcome for the RCT analysis was considered to be high, although the quality of evidence of the observational studies was considered to be very low. There were no complications reported in the three medical abortion studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of failure for medical abortions performed by mid-level providers compared with doctors. Observational data indicate that there may be a higher risk of abortion failure for surgical abortion procedures administered by mid-level providers, but the number of studies is small and more robust data from controlled trials are needed. There were no statistically significant differences in the risk of complications for first trimester surgical abortions performed by mid-level providers compared with doctors.

Ugandan opinion-leaders' knowledge and perceptions of unsafe abortion.

While laws in Uganda surrounding abortion remain contradictory, a frequent interpretation of the law is that abortion is only allowed to save the woman's life. Nevertheless abortion occurs frequently under unsafe conditions at a rate of 54 abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age annually, taking a large toll on women's health. There are an estimated 148,500 women in Uganda who experience abortion complications annually. Understanding opinion leaders' knowledge and perceptions about unsafe abortion is critical to identifying ways to address this public health issue. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 41 policy-makers, cultural leaders, local politicians and leaders within the health care sector in 2009-10 at the national as well as district (Bushenyi, Kamuli and Lira) level to explore their knowledge and perceptions of unsafe abortion and the potential for policy to address this issue. Only half of the sample knew the current law regulating abortion in Uganda. Respondents understood that the result of the current abortion restrictions included long-term health complications, unwanted children and maternal death. Perceived consequences of increasing access to safe abortion included improved health as well as overuse of abortion, marital conflict and less reliance on preventive behaviour. Opinion leaders expressed the most support for legalization of abortion in cases of rape when the perpetrator was unknown. Understanding opinion leaders' perspectives on this politically sensitive topic provides insight into the policy context of abortion laws, drivers behind maintaining the status quo, and ways to improve provision under the law: increase education among providers and opinion leaders.

Effects of abortion legalization in Nepal, 2001-2010.

BACKGROUND: Abortion was legalized in Nepal in 2002, following advocacy efforts highlighting high maternal mortality from unsafe abortion. We sought to assess whether legalization led to reductions in the most serious maternal health consequences of unsafe abortion. METHODS: We conducted retrospective medical chart review of all gynecological cases presenting at four large public referral hospitals in Nepal. For the years 2001-2010, all cases of spontaneous and induced abortion complications were identified, abstracted, and coded to classify cases of serious infection, injury, and systemic complications. We used segmented Poisson and ordinary logistic regression to test for trend and risks of serious complications for three time periods: before implementation (2001-2003), early implementation (2004-2006), and later implementation (2007-2010). RESULTS: 23,493 cases of abortion complications were identified. A significant downward trend in the proportion of serious infection, injury, and systemic complications was observed for the later implementation period, along with a decline in the risk of serious complications (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.64, 0.85). Reductions in sepsis occurred sooner, during early implementation (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.47, 0.75). CONCLUSION: Over the study period, health care use and the population of reproductive aged women increased. Total fertility also declined by nearly half, despite relatively low contraceptive prevalence. Greater numbers of women likely obtained abortions and sought hospital care for complications following legalization, yet we observed a significant decline in the rate of serious abortion morbidity. The liberalization of abortion policy in Nepal has benefited women's health, and likely contributes to falling maternal mortality in the country. The steepest decline was observed after expansion of the safe abortion program to include midlevel providers, second trimester training, and medication abortion, highlighting the importance of concerted efforts to improve access. Other countries contemplating changes to abortion policy can draw on the evidence and implementation strategies observed in Nepal.

Unsafe abortion after legalisation in Nepal: a cross-sectional study of women presenting to hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate abortion practices of Nepali women requiring postabortion care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Four tertiary-care hospitals in urban and rural Nepal. SAMPLE: A total of 527 women presenting with complications from induced abortion in 2010. METHODS: Women completed questionnaires on their awareness of the legal status of abortion and their abortion-seeking experiences. The method of induction and whether the abortion was obtained from an uncertified source was documented. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify associated factors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Induction method; uncertified abortion source. RESULTS: In all, 234 (44%) women were aware that abortion was legal in Nepal. Medically induced abortion was used by 359 (68%) women and, of these, 343 (89%) took unsafe, ineffective or unknown substances. Compared with women undergoing surgical abortion, women who had medical abortion were more likely to have obtained information from pharmacists (161/359, 45% versus 11/168, 7%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 8.1, 95% confidence interval 4.1-16.0) and to have informed no one about the abortion (28/359, 8% versus 3/168, 2%, aOR 5.5, 95% CI 1.1-26.9). Overall, 291 (81%) medical abortions and 50 (30%) surgical abortions were obtained from uncertified sources; these women were less likely to know that abortion was legal (122/341, 36% versus 112/186, 60%, aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7) and more likely to choose a method because it was available nearby (209/341, 61% versus 62/186, 33%, aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.3), compared with women accessing certified sources. CONCLUSIONS: Among women presenting to hospitals in Nepal with complications following induced abortion of pregnancy, the majority had undergone medically induced abortions using unknown substances acquired from uncertified sources. Women using medications and those accessing uncertified providers were less aware that abortion is now legal in Nepal. These findings highlight the need for continued improvements in the provision and awareness of abortion services in Nepal.