Munawar Hussain, Maimoona Ashraf, Khurshid Noorani.
Alleged reasons and complications of induced Abortion.
J Surg Pak Jan ;9(3):18-21.

Objectives: To determine the reasons and complications of induced abortion. Design: Descriptive study. Place & Duration: This study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Karachi over five years period from Is` January 1999 to 31s` December 2003. Patients And Methods: All the patients who admitted of induced abortion after interview and were admitted in ]PMC either through emergency or out patients department were included in this study. Results: Induced abortion was found in 5.75% patients. Majority (50%) of the patients were between 26-40 years of age and were grand multipara (40%). Most of the patients (53%) had induced abortion because their family was completed and another 17.5% patients had it because they could not afford further children. Untrained birth attendants carried out the procedure in 82.5% and doctors in 15%. Instrumentation was the commonest (50%) method used for attempting the procedure and remaining abortions were performed either by vaginal and anal medicines or by injection oxytocin. Mortality rate of 9.5% in this series means that one out of every ten cases of induced abortion had a fatal outcome. All those who succumbed to complications of unsafe abortion had it induced in sub optimal conditions, by untrained or poorly trained personnel. Conclusion: Induced unsafe abortion is quite common in our society due to multiple social, economic or personal reasons and due to non-availability of safe abortion services; it is performed by untrained health professionals resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Mass education, training of health professionals, ensuring availability and utilization of safe contraceptive methods and provision of timely medical management can eliminate the complications associated with induced abortion.

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