First case report of tuberculous meningitis secondary to endometrial tuberculosis following a clandestine abortion

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a medical emergency: it is the most severe, lethal and disabling clinical form of tuberculosis. We report the case of a 44-year-old woman who had undergone a clandestine abortion six weeks before admission. One week later, she had abnormal vaginal discharge. Three weeks prior to admission, headache, hyperpyrexia and mental alteration were added. At admission, a transvaginal ultrasound showed abnormalities of the uterine cavity. Sepsis and endometritis were diagnosed, and a hysterectomy was scheduled. During preoperative evaluation, meningeal signs were found. The first lumbar puncture (LP) showed a lymphomononuclear pleocytosis, hypoglycorrhachia and hyperproteinorrachia. After five days treatment with ceftriaxone, vancomycin and dexamethasone, only partial recovery occurred. A second LP showed AFB and PCR confirmed Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The histopathology of endometrial biopsy confirmed endometrial tuberculosis. Therapeutic response to anti-tuberculous treatment and corticosteroids was excellent. No other cause of immunosuppression apart from pregnancy was found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of TBM secondary to endometrial tuberculosis and highlights an unusual clinical scenario in which severe and disseminated forms of TB could be present. TBM during and after pregnancy is rare, but compared with TBM in non-pregnant women, it has a poorer prognosis. Early diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving in this life-threatening disease.

Safe and unsafe abortions: Total monetary costs and health care system costs in Argentina in 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.

ESHRE Capri Workshop Group. Induced abortion

Abortion is common. Data on abortion rates are inexact but can be used to explore trends. Globally, the estimated rate in the period 2010-2014 was 35 abortions per 1000 women (aged 15-44 years), five points less than the rate of 40 for the period 1990-1994. Abortion laws vary around the world but are generally more restrictive in developing countries. Restrictive laws do not necessarily deter women from seeking abortion but often lead to unsafe practice with significant mortality and morbidity. While a legal framework for abortion is a prerequisite for availability, many laws, which are not evidence based, restrict availability and delay access. Abortion should be available in the interests of public health and any legal framework should be as permissive as possible in order to promote access. In the absence of legal access, harm reduction strategies are needed to reduce abortion-related mortality and morbidity. Abortion can be performed surgically (in the first trimester, by manual or electric vacuum aspiration) or with medication: both are safe and effective. Cervical priming facilitates surgery and reduces the risk of incomplete abortion. Diagnosis of incomplete abortion should be made on clinical grounds, not by ultrasound. Septic abortion is a common cause of maternal death almost always following unsafe abortion and thus largely preventable. While routine follow-up after abortion is unnecessary, all women should be offered a contraceptive method immediately after the abortion. This, together with improved education and other interventions, may succeed in reducing unintended pregnancy.

Maternal Near-Miss Due to Unsafe Abortion and Associated Short-Term Health and Socio-Economic Consequences in Nigeria

Little is known about maternal near-miss (MNM) due to unsafe abortion in Nigeria. We used the WHO criteria to identify near-miss events and the proportion due to unsafe abortion among women of childbearing age in eight large secondary and tertiary hospitals across the six geo-political zones. We also explored the characteristics of women with these events, delays in seeking care and the short-term socioeconomic and health impacts on women and their families. Between July 2011 and January 2012, 137 MNM cases were identified of which 13 or 9.5% were due to unsafe abortions. Severe bleeding, pain and fever were the most common immediate abortion complications. On average, treatment of MNM due to abortion costs six times more than induced abortion procedures. Unsafe abortion and delays in care seeking are important contributors to MNM. Programs to prevent unsafe abortion and delays in seeking postabortion care are urgently needed to reduce abortion related MNM in Nigeria.

[Rare complication of a late abortion: a case report]

We report the case of a young woman who presented with acute abdomen at our hospital. The control revealed the presence of fetal parts in extra-uterin and intra-abdominal place after a late abortion. The patient was succesfully operated by celioscopy.

Temporal trends and spatial distribution of unsafe abortion in Brazil, 1996-2012

OBJECTIVE To analyze temporal trends and distribution patterns of unsafe abortion in Brazil. METHODS Ecological study based on records of hospital admissions of women due to abortion in Brazil between 1996 and 2012, obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Ministry of Health. We estimated the number of unsafe abortions stratified by place of residence, using indirect estimate techniques. The following indicators were calculated: ratio of unsafe abortions/100 live births and rate of unsafe abortion/1,000 women of childbearing age. We analyzed temporal trends through polynomial regression and spatial distribution using municipalities as the unit of analysis. RESULTS In the study period, a total of 4,007,327 hospital admissions due to abortions were recorded in Brazil. We estimated a total of 16,905,911 unsafe abortions in the country, with an annual mean of 994,465 abortions (mean unsafe abortion rate: 17.0 abortions/1,000 women of childbearing age; ratio of unsafe abortions: 33.2/100 live births). Unsafe abortion presented a declining trend at national level (R2: 94.0%, p < 0.001), with unequal patterns between regions. There was a significant reduction of unsafe abortion in the Northeast (R2: 93.0%, p < 0.001), Southeast (R2: 92.0%, p < 0.001) and Central-West regions (R2: 64.0%, p < 0.001), whereas the North (R2: 39.0%, p = 0.030) presented an increase, and the South (R2: 22.0%, p = 0.340) remained stable. Spatial analysis identified the presence of clusters of municipalities with high values for unsafe abortion, located mainly in states of the North, Northeast and Southeast Regions. CONCLUSIONS Unsafe abortion remains a public health problem in Brazil, with marked regional differences, mainly concentrated in the socioeconomically disadvantaged regions of the country. Qualification of attention to women's health, especially to reproductive aspects and attention to pre- and post-abortion processes, are necessary and urgent strategies to be implemented in the country.

Unsafe abortion: a cruel way of birth control

BACKGROUND

Unsafe abortion refers to a procedure for terminating an unintended pregnancy performed either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study are to assess the factors attributing to practice of unsafe abortion and to suggest feasible and cost-effective measures to counter the same.

METHODS

An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was made using library sources including Pubmed, Medline and World Health Organization. Keywords used in the search include unsafe abortion and unintended pregnancy.

RESULTS

Multiple socio-demographic determinants and barriers such as illiterate women, poor socio-economic status, poor awareness about abortion services, associated stigma, and untrained health professionals have been identified resulting in restricted utilization/access of women to safe abortion services. Consequences of unsafe abortion have been alarming, seriously questioning the quality of health care delivery system.

CONCLUSION

Concerted and dedicated efforts of government in collaboration with the private sector, community members and non-governmental organizations are needed to ensure that women have a better access to contraceptives, abortion services, and post-abortion care that are safe, affordable, and free from stigma.

Benefits of Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Malawian Women

(1) In 2013, an estimated 54% of pregnancies in Malawi were unintended. (2) More than four in 10 women have an unmet need for modern contraception—that is, they want to avoid pregnancy, but either are not practicing contraception or are using a relatively ineffective traditional method. (3) Meeting just half of this unmet need would prevent 213,000 unintended pregnancies annually, which would result in 34,000 fewer unsafe abortions and 800 fewer maternal deaths each year. (4) If all unmet need for modern contraception were met, maternal mortality would decline by more than two-fifths, and unintended births and unsafe abortions would drop by 87%. (5) Investing in contraceptive commodities and services to fulfill all unmet need for modern contraception would result in a net annual savings of US$11 million (4.1 billion Malawi kwachas) over what would otherwise be spent on medical costs associated with unintended pregnancies and their consequences. (6) Expanding contraceptive services confers substantial benefits to women, their families and society. All stakeholders—including the Malawi government and the private sector—should increase their investment in modern contraceptive services.

Postabortion care in Pakistan

The current law in Pakistan permits abortion only under narrow circumstances. As a result, women resort to clandestine and unsafe abortion procedures, which often lead to complications. This report summarizes findings from a study that examined the conditions under which women obtain abortion in Pakistan; the incidence, coverage and quality of facility-based postabortion care (PAC); and the extent to which recommended standards for PAC have been implemented in health facilities.

Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion in the Philippines: context and consequences

Despite advances in reproductive health law, many Filipino women experience unintended pregnancies, and because abortion is highly stigmatized in the country, many who seek abortion undergo unsafe procedures. This report provides a summary of reproductive health indicators in the Philippines—in particular, levels of contraceptive use, unplanned pregnancy and unsafe abortion—and describes the sociopolitical context in which services are provided, the consequences of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion,and recommendations for improving access to reproductive health services.

Abortion in a progressive legal environment: the need for vigilance in protecting and promoting access to safe abortion services in South Africa

The importance of South Africa as a model for reproductive self-determination in Africa cannot be underestimated. Abortion has been legal since 1996, and the country has some of the most developed government systems for the provision of abortion care on the continent. Yet in the same way opponents of abortion in the United States have whittled away at access with increased bureaucracy, South Africa faces similar assaults that leave women without safe care and threaten to turn back achievements made during the past 16 years. I explore the history of the law, subsequent legal challenges, and new threats to women's access to abortion services, including service delivery issues that may influence the future of public health in the country.

Unsafe abortion in Tanzania: a review of the evidence

Although pregnancy termination is restricted by law in Tanzania, it is widely practiced and almost always unsafe,and contributes to the country's high maternal morbidity and mortality. Yet the majority of abortion-related deaths are preventable, as are the unintended pregnancies associated with abortion. Better access to contraceptives, more comprehensive postabortion care and greater availability of safe abortion services within the current legal framework are critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goal 5 of reducing maternal mortality and ensuring universal access to reproductive health care by 2015.

Ray of hope: opportunities for reducing unsafe abortions!

Unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity which impede the nation in achieving the targets of MDG 5. In the developing world, it is estimated that 13% of all maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortions. Despite having certain liberty in the law and religion, Pakistan has a relatively high prevalence of unsafe abortion. Poverty, unintended pregnancies, ineffective use of contraceptive methods and unawareness about the law are the root causes for the rise in the number of women seeking abortions. Nonetheless, with all these opening points of having permission in the law and religion could direct us that if we just follow them we can reduce the number of unsafe and illegal abortions.Therefore, there is a strong interventions would be required in health and legal aspects, which would decrease maternal mortality and morbidity.

Sociodemographic determinants of complicated unsafe abortions in a semi-urban Nigerian town: a four-year review

BACKGROUND

Abortions performed by persons lacking the requisite skills or in environments lacking minimal medical standards or both are considered unsafe. It is estimated that over 20 million unsafe abortions are performed annually and about 70 000 women die globally as a result, with the majority occurring in the developing world. This study aims to determine the sociodemographic factors involved in complicated unsafe abortions.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The study is a four-year retrospective evaluation of all cases of complicated unsafe abortions managed at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa state, Nigeria between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2010.

RESULTS

The incidence of unsafe complicated abortions over the study period was 4.10% of total deliveries and contributed 14.0% of gynaecological admissions: 34.92% occurred in adolescents less than 20 years of age, of which the majority (55.55%) were secondary school students. There were 55.45% of patients who were nulliparae, 60.32% were unemployed and 69.80% were unmarried. A total of 87.30% had never used any form of contraceptive. Abortion mortality rate was 256/100 000 deliveries and the case fatality was 4.76%. It constituted 30.0% of all gynaecological deaths and 17.64% of maternal deaths during the study period. The commonest cause of death was septicaemia (66.66%).

CONCLUSION

Unfavourable sociodemographic factors are major determinants of the high incidence of unsafe abortion in the Niger Delta despite strict abortion laws. Concrete measures must be put in place to address these, as unsafe abortion and its complications are a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the environment.

Factors associated with severe complications in unsafe abortion

OBJECTIVE

To assess factors associated with severe complications in unsafe abortion and to compare the complications in unsafe abortions with spontaneous or therapeutic induced abortion at Khon Kaen Hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Four hundred sixty two medical records with the diagnosis of abortion at Khon Kaen Hospital between January and December 2008 were reviewed. Patient characteristics, complications and treatment outcomes were collected. The complications from abortion were classified into mild and severe group. Qualitative data were presented as frequencies and percentage. Comparison data was analyzed by using Pearson Chi-square test.

RESULTS

Out of 462 cases of abortion observed over the study period, 170 (36.8%) women had undergone an unsafe abortion. Twenty-seven (16%) women had severe complications and included 18 cases with hemorrhage requiring blood transfusions (66.6%), 17 cases with shock (63%), six cases with acute renal failure (22.2%), two cases with sepsis with DIC (7.4%) and two death cases. Ninety-five women (56%) in the unsafe abortion did not use any contraception. When compared between the mild and severe complication in the unsafe abortion group, there were statistical differences in the marital status, level of education and the method used (p = 0.003, p = 0.019, p < 0.001, respectively). Severe complications from unsafe abortion more frequently occurred in married, low educated women where intrauterine chemical injection was the most often used.

CONCLUSION

The unsafe abortion had more severe complications than the spontaneous or therapeutic abortion, which had affected the women's health. Level of education, marital status, and method used were factors associated with severe complications in unsafe abortion.

Abortion in Ghana

Maternal mortality is the second most common cause of death among women in Ghana, and more than one in 10 maternal deaths (11%) are the result of unsafe induced abortions.1 In addition, a substantial proportion of women who survive an unsafe abortion experience complications from the procedure. This suffering is all the more tragic because it is unnecessary: Many women likely turn to unsafe providers or do not obtain adequate postabortion care when it is needed because they are unaware that abortion is legal on fairly broad grounds in Ghana.

Unsafe abortion in Zambia

In Zambia, because safe, legal abortion is inaccessible to many women, an unknown number of women each year resort to illegal abortions, many of which are performed under unsanitary and unsafe conditions. The death toll from these procedures is likely high, and almost all such deaths could be avoided if access to safe abortion were improved and unintended pregnancies were prevented.

[Prevalence of illegal abortions in Libreville Hospital, Gabon]

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of illegal abortion in Libreville and to describe abortive methods used. It is a cross sectional and descriptive survey carried out at the maternity hospital of Libreville (MHL) during one year, from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008. 750 abortions were performed during this period and 651 cases were illegal abortions. Prevalence was of 86.7%. The women undergoing illegal abortion were most often pupils (67.1%), with an average age of 22.4 +/- 5.3 years old and a mean parity of 1.2 +/- 1.50. The average gestational term was of 7.4 +/- 1.9 weeks. Misoprostol (63.1%) was the most frequent abortive product used. 2 maternal deaths were notified. Prevalence of illegal abortions is increasing at the MHL. Up to now, misoprostol is the most frequent abortive product used.

Meeting women's contraceptive needs in the Philippines

The ability to practice contraception is essential to protecting Filipino women's health and rights. Yet low levels of use have led to high levels of unintended pregnancy in the Philippines, for which women and society pay dearly-- in lives, family well-being and public funds.

Comparative study of the impact of past pregnancy outcome on future fertility

INTRODUCTION

The impact of previous pregnancy outcome on future fertility in Nigeria has not been appreciated, hence the continued neglect of the adoption of safe motherhood measures in this sub-region. The objective of this study was to compare the past pregnancy outcomes among fertile and infertile patients in a Nigerian population.

METHODS

An institutional-based comparative case-controlled study of past pregnancy outcomes among infertile and fertile women was conducted. The data was managed using Epi-Info and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences.

RESULTS

708 patients consisting of 472 pregnant women (fertile) and 236 infertile women were investigated. Infertile women were at a significant risk of having an adverse pregnancy outcome, such as induced abortion (p-value is 0.0001), postabortal sepsis (p-value is 0.0001), postpartum infection (p-value is 0.001), manual removal of the placenta (p-value is 0.0005) and prolonged unsupervised labour (p-value 0.0001), compared to pregnant fertile women. Logistic regression analysis of variables at 95 percent confidence intervals showed that the adjusted odds ratio for prolonged labour, prolonged rupture of membranes, postabortal sepsis and postpartum infection still remained significant.

CONCLUSION

Previous mismanaged pregnancies impacted negatively on future fertility. Efforts should be directed towards the prevention of unplanned pregnancies. Motherhood must be made safer in planned pregnancies by prevention of complications, and aggressive and prompt treatment of any complication if and when it occurs.

Unsafe abortion in Kenya

Though pregnancy termination is highly restricted in Kenya, induced abortion remains common. Illegal abortion is often unsafe, putting women at risk of death or severe complications. In eastern Africa as a whole, an estimated 14% of all pregnancies end in abortion, and nearly one in five maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortion.

[Safe illegal abortion would make an important contribution to decreasing maternal mortality and female suffering]

Unsafe abortion is a major public health concern in many developing countries, contributing to a substantial proportion of maternal deaths. Increased legal access to abortion services is associated with improvement in mortality and morbidity. Safe illegal abortion by means of drugs is another possible way to prevent this unnecessary harm to women. The Dutch government, however, is now proposing legal changes that will diminish the access to medical abortion by general practitioners.

Reducing unsafe abortion in Nigeria

Abortion is illegal in Nigeria except to save a woman's life. It is also common, and most procedures are performed under unsafe, clandestine conditions. In 1996, an estimated 610,000 abortions occurred (25 per 1,000 women of childbearing age), of which 142,000 resulted in complications severe enough to require hospitalization. The number of abortions is estimated to have risen to 760,000 in 2006. Unsafe abortions are a major reason Nigeria's maternal mortality rate--1,100 deaths per 100,000 live births--is one the world's highest. According to conservative estimates, more than 3,000 women die annually in Nigeria as a result of unsafe abortion.

Prevalence of induced abortion and associated complications in women attending hospitals in Isfahan

A high proportion of maternal deaths are caused by abortion, especially induced abortion. This cross-sectional study determined the prevalence of illegally-induced abortion prior to admittance and its associated risk factors in 8 maternity hospitals in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran, during 2003-04. In confidential interviews with 417 women who attended the hospitals with abortion, 50 (12.0%) reported that it was illegally induced. These abortions had a significant correlation with fever, septic shock and septic abortion. Of all pregnancies, 35.0% were unwanted, and 27.1% of these were illegally-terminated by induced abortions. Unwanted pregnancy was one of the most important risk factors for induced abortion (OR = 8.84, 95% CI: 4.36-17.92).

Hospital admissions resulting from unsafe abortion: estimates from 13 developing countries

BACKGROUND

Complications from unsafe abortion are believed to account for the largest proportion of hospital admissions for gynaecological services in developing countries. The WHO estimates that one in eight pregnancy-related deaths result from unsafe abortions. The social stigma and legal restrictions associated with abortion in many countries means that data on the magnitude of this problem are scarce; this article estimates the rate and numbers of hospital admissions resulting from unsafe abortions in developing countries to help quantify the problem.

METHODS

National estimates of abortion-related hospital admissions in women aged 15-44 years were compiled for 13 developing countries: Africa (Egypt, Nigeria, and Uganda), Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines), and Latin America and the Caribbean (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru). These data were combined with supplementary data from five countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa) to give estimates for the three world regions.

FINDINGS

The annual hospitalisation rate varies from a low of about 3 per 1000 women in Bangladesh to a high of about 15 per 1000 in Egypt and Uganda. Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines have rates of 4-7 per 1000, and two countries in Latin America with recent data have rates of almost 9 per 1000. In the developing world as a whole, an estimated five million women are admitted to hospital for treatment of complications from induced abortions each year. This equates to an average rate of 5.7 per 1000 women per year in all developing regions, excluding China. By comparison, in developed countries complications from abortion procedures or hospitalisation are rare.

INTERPRETATION

These results help quantify the magnitude of the adverse health effects of unsafe abortion in developing countries and highlight the need for improved access to post-abortion care. The provision of abortion services is changing to include the drug misoprostol and this could reduce the severity of abortion complications and the number of women who are hospitalised. Researchers will need to monitor these changes to provide countries with up-to-date information on illness and death from unsafe abortion. Improved contraceptive services are necessary to prevent unintended pregnancy. However, increasing access to safe abortion services is the most effective way of preventing the burden of unsafe abortion, and remains a high priority for developing countries.

Unsafe abortion: the preventable pandemic

Ending the silent pandemic of unsafe abortion is an urgent public-health and human-rights imperative. As with other more visible global-health issues, this scourge threatens women throughout the developing world. Every year, about 19-20 million abortions are done by individuals without the requisite skills, or in environments below minimum medical standards, or both. Nearly all unsafe abortions (97%) are in developing countries. An estimated 68 000 women die as a result, and millions more have complications, many permanent. Important causes of death include haemorrhage, infection, and poisoning. Legalisation of abortion on request is a necessary but insufficient step toward improving women's health; in some countries, such as India, where abortion has been legal for decades, access to competent care remains restricted because of other barriers. Access to safe abortion improves women's health, and vice versa, as documented in Romania during the regime of President Nicolae Ceausescu. The availability of modern contraception can reduce but never eliminate the need for abortion. Direct costs of treating abortion complications burden impoverished health care systems, and indirect costs also drain struggling economies. The development of manual vacuum aspiration to empty the uterus, and the use of misoprostol, an oxytocic agent, have improved the care of women. Access to safe, legal abortion is a fundamental right of women, irrespective of where they live. The underlying causes of morbidity and mortality from unsafe abortion today are not blood loss and infection but, rather, apathy and disdain toward women.

Bowel injury following induced abortion

OBJECTIVE

Bowel injury is an uncommonly reported yet serious complication of induced abortion, which is often performed illegally by persons without any medical training in developing countries. A sudden increase in cases prompted the authors to analyze this problem.

METHOD

A retrospective review was done of 11 cases of bowel injury following induced abortion seen over 2 years at Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India.

RESULTS

Young, married women of low socioeconomic status with a strong preference for male children were the predominant recipients of induced abortion in India. The terminal ileum and pelvic colon were the most commonly injured portions of the bowel owing to their anatomic locations.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative resuscitation, then resection with exteriorization of bowel and thorough peritoneal lavage, is the treatment for bowel injury incurred during induced abortion when the patient presents late.

A risk reduction strategy to prevent maternal deaths associated with unsafe abortion

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide, 13% of maternal deaths are caused by complications of spontaneous or induced abortion, 29% in Uruguay and nearly half (48%) in the Pereira Rossell Hospital.

PURPOSE

This paper describes a risk reduction strategy for unsafe abortions in Montevideo, Uruguay, where over one-fourth of maternal deaths are caused by unsafe abortion.

METHODS

Although abortion is not legal in Uruguay, women desiring abortions can be counseled before and immediately after to reduce the risk of injury. Women contemplating abortion were invited to attend a "before-abortion" and an "after-abortion" visit at a reproductive health polyclinic. At the "before-abortion" visit, gestational age, condition of the fetus and pathologies were diagnosed and the risks associated with the use of different abortion methods (based on the best available scientific evidence) were described. The "after-abortion" visit allowed for checking for possible complications and offering contraception.

RESULTS

From March 2004 through June 2005, 675 women attended the "before-abortion" and 495 the "after-abortion" visit, the number increasing over time. Some women (3.5%) decided not to abort, others were either not pregnant, the fetus/embryo was dead or the woman had a condition that permitted legal termination of pregnancy in the hospital (7.5%). Most women, however, aborted. All women used vaginal misoprostol in the doses recommended in the medical literature. There were no serious complications (one mild infection and two hemorrhages not requiring transfusion).

CONCLUSION

The strategy is effective in reducing unsafe abortions and their health consequences.

Estimating clandestine abortion with the confidants method--results from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Data on abortion in sub-Saharan Africa are rare and non-representative. This study presents a new method to collect quantitative data on clandestine abortion, the confidants method, applied in 2001 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Preliminary qualitative work showed that individuals are aware of their close friends' induced abortions: women usually talk to their peers about the unintended pregnancy and ask them for help in locating illegal abortion providers. In a survey of 963 women of reproductive age representative of the city of Ouagadougou, we asked respondents to list their close relations, and, for each of them, and for each of the 5 years preceding the survey, whether they had an induced abortion. According to these data, there are 40 induced abortions per 1000 women aged 15-49 in Ouagadougou annually, and 60 per 1000 women aged 15-19. Adverse health consequences followed 60% of the reported induced abortions, and 14% of them received treatment in a hospital. Extrapolating these results to the entire city, we estimate that its hospitals treat about 1000 cases of abortion complications a year. Hospital data indicate that these centers admitted 984 induced abortions (adding all "certainly", "probably" and "possibly" induced abortions in the WHO protocol) in 2001; the age distribution of patients admitted for induced abortion also corresponds to the confidants method's projections ("certainly" induced abortions only). At least two biases could affect the abortion rates estimated by the confidants method, pertaining to the selection of the sample of relations and to the varying number of third parties involved in the abortion process. The confidants method, which is similar in its principle to the sisterhood method used to estimate maternal mortality levels, might generate accurate estimates of illegal abortion in certain contexts if these two biases are controlled for. Further testing is necessary.

Neonatal morbidity and outcome of live born premature babies after attempted illegal abortion with misoprostol

Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin currently employed to induce labor. Association with illegal abortion has been reported; however, neonatal outcome and morbidity after a failed attempt of abortion has not been described.

OBJECTIVES

To report the association between misoprostol self-medication and preterm labor and to assess perinatal risk factors, morbidity and early outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective study of all very low birth weight (VLBW) infants delivered in Hospital Fernando Fonseca, during a 5-year period. VLBW infants were assigned to misoprostol group (MG) when preterm delivery was attributed to misoprostol and matched with newborns with similar gestational age, birth- weight, and gender.

RESULTS

During the study period 311 VLBW infants were born. Nineteen belonged to misoprostol group (MG) and 58 were selected for controls. Mothers from MG were significantly younger (21.5 vs 27.5, p = 0.001) and from African origin (74 vs 31%, p = 0.006), had significantly less prenatal care (21 vs 67%, p = 0.000), less antenatal steroids (5 vs 50%, p = 0.001), and were delivered less often by C-section (11 vs 60%, p = 0.000). MG infants had significantly higher rates of patent ductus arteriosus (58 vs 29%, p = 0.031) and chronic lung disease (47 vs 14%, p = 0.026). Mortality rate at 3 months was similar in both groups, but the incidence of abnormal neurodevelopment at 1 year of age was significantly higher in the MG (50 vs 16%, p= 0.02).

COMMENTS

The worse outcome of MG infants seems to be determined by prenatal, natal, and postnatal factors and we believe that misoprostol is probably a significant adjuvant cofactor.

[A case report of intrapelvic foetal osseous remains localization after clandestine caused abortion]

A 26 year old women, unmarried, second gesture, primiparous, had been hospitalized in our departement for the management of a hypogastric mass. Ultrasonography had shown: an uterus of normal size, a normal uterine vacuity line with presence of many osseous and fibrous constituents inside the inter-vesico-uterine area, including one femoral osseous of 18,6 mm corresponding to 15 weeks of amenorrhoea. A few months before, the patient had undergone a clandestine caused abortion on a progressive intrauterine pregnancy of 12 weeks of amenorrhoea certified by ultrasonography. It is an exceptional complication of clandestine caused abortion. It gives the opportunity to us to discuss its etiopathogenic mechanism. It also enables us to point out the complications of the clandestine caused abortion and to insist on the need for its prevention.

Misoprostol overdose during the first trimester of pregnancy

Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin E1 used during the first trimester of pregnancy as an adjacent to RU486 for medical termination of pregnancy. We present a case of a healthy 23-year-old woman who was admitted due to misoprostol overdose, used to induce an illegal abortion. Manifestations of toxicity included abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and confusion. Treatment was supportive and included gastric lavage and administration of activated charcoal. Recovery was completed within a few hours, and the patient was scheduled for a dilatation and curettage the following day.

Estimating induced abortion rates: a review

Legal abortions are authorized medical procedures, and as such, they are or can be recorded at the health facility where they are performed. The incidence of illegal, often unsafe, induced abortion has to be estimated, however. In the literature, no fewer than eight methods have been used to estimate the frequency of induced abortion: the "illegal abortion provider survey," the "complications statistics" approach, the "mortality statistics" approach, self-reporting techniques, prospective studies, the "residual" method, anonymous third party reports, and experts' estimates. This article describes the methodological requirements of each of these methods and discusses their biases. Empirical records for each method are reviewed, with particular attention paid to the contexts in which the method has been employed successfully. Finally, the choice of an appropriate method of estimation is discussed, depending on the context in which it is to be applied and on the goal of the estimation effort.