The unmet need for safe abortion in Turkey: a role
for medical abortion and training of medical students
Abortion has been legal and safe in Turkey
since 1983, but the unmet need for safe abortion services remains high.
Many medical practitioners believe that the introduction of medical
abortion would address this. However, since 2012 there has been political
opposition to the provision of abortion services. The government has been
threatening to restrict the law, and following an administrative change in
booking of appointments, some hospital clinics that provided family
planning and abortion services had to stop providing abortions. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Sare Mihciokur, Ayse Akin, Bahar Guciz Dogan, Sevkat Bahar Ozvaris Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Assessment of completion of early medical abortion
using a text questionnaire on mobile phones compared to a
self-administered paper questionnaire among women attending four clinics,
Cape Town, South Africa
In-clinic follow-up to assess completion of
medical abortion is no longer a requirement according to World Health
Organization guidance, provided adequate counselling is given. However,
timely recognition of ongoing pregnancy, complications or incomplete
abortion, which require treatment, is important. As part of a larger
trial, this study aimed to establish whether women having a medical
abortion could self-assess whether their abortion was complete using an
automated, interactive questionnaire on their mobile phones. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Deborah Constant, Katherine de Tolly, Jane Harries, Landon Myer Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Perceptions of misoprostol among providers and women
seeking post-abortion care in Zimbabwe
This study in 2012 explored women’s and providers’ perspectives in
Zimbabwe on the acceptability of the use of misoprostol as a form of
treatment for complications of abortion in post-abortion care. In-depth
interviews were conducted with 115 participants at seven post-abortion
care facilities. Participants included 73 women of reproductive age who
received services for incomplete abortion and 42 providers, including
physicians, nurses, midwives, general practitioners and casualty staff. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: M Catherine Maternowska, Alexio Mashu, Precious Moyo, Mellissa Withers, Tsungai Chipato Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Expanding access to medical abortion: challenges and
opportunities
Medical abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol (or
misoprostol alone in settings where mifepristone has not yet been approved
or made available) is a safe and effective method of terminating both
early and later pregnancies. Misoprostol tablets can also be used to
manage incomplete abortion and miscarriage. When used in early pregnancy,
medical abortion can be provided at a primary care facility and by
non-physician providers.
1
The over three decades long experience with these
medications has also provided incremental evidence that many components of
early medical abortion can safely take place outside of a ...
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Bela Ganatra, Philip Guest, Marge Berer Tags: INTRODUCTION Source Type: research
Using a harm reduction lens to examine
post-intervention results of medical abortion training among Zambian
pharmacists
Despite broad grounds for legal abortion in
Zambia, access to abortion services remains limited. Pharmacy workers, a
primary source of health care for communities, present an opportunity to
bridge the gap between policy and practice. As part of a larger operations
study, 80 pharmacy workers, both registered pharmacists and their
assistants, participated in a training on medical abortion in 2009 and
2010. Fifty-five of the 80 pharmacy workers completed an anonymous,
structured training pre-test, treated as a baseline questionnaire; 53 of
the 80 trainees were interviewed 12–24 months post-training in
face-to-face ...
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tamara Fetters, Keris Raisanen, Stephen Mupeta, Isikanda Malisikwanda, Bellington Vwalika, Joachim Osur, Sally Dijkerman Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Increasing access to safe menstrual regulation
services in Bangladesh by offering medical menstrual regulation
This study examined the acceptability of medical menstrual
regulation in public sector urban-based clinics, public sector rural-based
clinics and urban-based clinics run by Marie Stopes, a non-governmental
organization. Of the 2,976 women who attended for menstrual regulation
services during the eight-month study period, 68% attended urban Maternal
and Child Welfare Centres and the Marie Stopes clinics, while 32% went to
the rural public facilities of the Union Health and Family Welfare Centre. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Reena Yasmin, Ubaidur Rob, Ismet Ara Hena, Tapash Ranjan Das, Farid Uddin Ahmed Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Towards safe abortion access: an exploratory study of
medical abortion in Cambodia
In 2010, following its approval by the Ministry
of Health, the medical abortion combination pack Medabon (containing
mifepristone and misoprostol) was made available at pharmacies and in a
restricted number of health facilities in Cambodia. The qualitative study
presented in this paper was conducted in 2012 as a follow-up to
longer-term ethnographical research related to reproductive health and
fertility regulation between 2008 and 2012. Observations were carried out
at several clinic and pharmacy sites and in-depth interviews were
conducted with a purposive sample of 20 women who attended two MSI
Cambodia centres...
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Pascale Hancart Petitet, Leakhena Ith, Melissa Cockroft, Thérèse Delvaux Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
The introduction of first trimester medical abortion in Armenia
In Armenia, abortion is the main means of
fertility regulation; however, before research activities were initiated
only surgical methods were available and the quality of services was low
in some areas. Our clinical study from 2008–2011 aimed to show that early
medical abortion is an acceptable and feasible option. A total of 700
eligible women with pregnancies up to 63 days LMP presenting for abortion
were recruited for the study in five locations. Participants took 200 mg
mifepristone and 800 μg buccal misoprostol 24–48 hours later. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Karmen S Louie, Erica Chong, Tamar Tsereteli, Gayane Avagyan, Susanna Vardanyan, Beverly Winikoff Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Safety, efficacy and acceptability of outpatient
mifepristone-misoprostol medical abortion through 70 days since last
menstrual period in public sector facilities in Mexico City
Extensive evidence exists regarding the
efficacy and acceptability of medical abortion through 63 days since last
menstrual period (LMP). In Mexico City’s Secretariat of Health (SSDF)
outpatient facilities, mifepristone-misoprostol medical abortion is the
first-line approach for abortion care in this pregnancy range. Recent
research demonstrates continued high rates of complete abortion through 70
days LMP. To expand access to legal abortion services in Mexico City
(where abortion is legal through 12 weeks LMP), this study sought to
assess the efficacy and acceptability of the standard outpatient approach
throug...
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - February 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Patricio Sanhueza Smith, Melanie Peña, Ilana G Dzuba, María Laura García Martinez, Ana Gabriela Aranguré Peraza, Manuel Bousiéguez, Tara Shochet, Beverly Winikoff Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Legal and human rights achievements of Anand Grover in India and as Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, 2008–2014
(Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - November 1, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Kate Barth Tags: PROFILE Source Type: research
From hospital to jail: the impact on women of El Salvador’s total criminalization of abortion
This article is a translation of excerpts from this report, which was published in Spanish in El Salvador in February 2013. It also includes excerpts from an interview with one of the members of the El Salvador Coalition, published by AWID in September 2014. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - November 1, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Tags: BOOKSHELF Source Type: research
Procedural abortion rights: Ireland and the European Court of Human Rights
This article explores the new law as the outcome of an international human rights litigation strategy premised on state duties to implement abortion laws through clear standards and procedural safeguards. It focuses specifically on the Irish law reform and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, including A. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - November 1, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Joanna N Erdman Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality: a meta-ethnography of women’s experiences
This article reports a systematic review of qualitative studies into women’s experiences of pregnancy termination for fetal abnormality. Eight databases were searched up to April 2014 for peer-reviewed studies, written in English, that reported primary or secondary data, used identifiable and interpretative qualitative methods, and offered a valuable contribution to the synthesis. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - November 1, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Caroline Lafarge, Kathryn Mitchell, Pauline Fox Tags: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Source Type: research
Using litigation to defend women prosecuted for abortion in Mexico: challenging state laws and the implications of recent court judgments
While women in Mexico City can access free, safe and legal abortion during the first trimester, women in other Mexican states face many barriers. To complicate matters, between 2008 and 2009, 16 state constitutions were amended to protect life from conception. While these reforms do not annul existing legal abortion indications, they have created additional obstacles for women. Health providers increasingly report women who seek life-saving care for complications such as haemorrhage to the police, and some cases eventually end up in court. (Source: Reproductive Health Matters)
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - November 1, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jennifer Paine, Regina Tamés Noriega, Alma Luz Beltrán y Puga Tags: FEATURE Source Type: research
Multipurpose prevention technologies for reproductive and sexual health
Global statistics on unplanned pregnancies, abortions and STIs show that unprotected sex is still widely practised. More needs to be done to provide women and men with a wider choice of convenient protective options. To address this need, international efforts are focusing on developing multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) that address two or more indications simultaneously. These technologies would have significant advantages over single-indication products. They include inter alia novel barrier devices, drugs administered either as oral tablets or vaginal/rectal gels, drugs used in combination with medical devices...
Source: Reproductive Health Matters - November 1, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Alan Stone Tags: ISSUES IN CURRENT RESEARCH Source Type: research
