Clandestine Abortion in Zimbabwe Contributes to Maternal Medical Complications

Clandestine Abortion in Zimbabwe Contributes to Maternal Medical Complications
Four in 10 Women Who Have an Abortion Experience Complications That Require Treatment

October 25, 2018
News Release

Nearly all abortions in Zimbabwe are clandestine, with many resulting in complications that require medical treatment. However, half of women who experience complications from unsafe abortion in Zimbabwe never receive the care they need. These findings come from a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences Clinical Trials Research Centre (UZCHS-CTRC), the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care and the U.S.-based Guttmacher Institute. The study, which provides the first comprehensive estimates of the incidence of abortion and postabortion care in Zimbabwe, was conducted in an effort to understand the potential impact of unsafe abortion on maternal injury and death in a country that has among the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. The findings are based on surveys of all health facilities in the country, as well as experts on abortion and women seeking postabortion care—which includes treatment for complications from unsafe abortion and miscarriage—and were published in the journals PLOS ONE and BMJ Open.

Continued: https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2018/clandestine-abortion-zimbabwe-contributes-maternal-medical-complications