title: Abortion-seeking behaviour among Nigerian women.
abstract: This study used data from a community-based survey to examine women's experiences of abortion in Nigeria. Fourteen percent of respondents reported that they had ever tried to terminate a pregnancy, and 10% had obtained an abortion. The majority of women who sought an abortion did so early in the pregnancy. Forty-two percent of women who obtained an abortion used the services of a non-professional provider, a quarter experienced complications and 9% sought treatment for complications from their abortions. Roughly half of the women who obtained an abortion used a method other than D&C or MVA. The abortion prevalence and conditions under which women sought abortions varied by women's socio-demographic characteristics. Because abortion is illegal in Nigeria except to save the woman's life, many women take significant risks to terminate unwanted pregnancies. Reducing the incidence of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion can significantly impact the reproductive health of women in Nigeria.
authors: Guttmacher Institute, New York, USA.
authors: Akinrinola
authors: A
authors: Bankole
authors: Gilda
authors: G
authors: Sedgh
authors: Boniface A
authors: BA
authors: Oye-Adeniran
authors: Isaac F
authors: IF
authors: Adewole
authors: Rubina
authors: R
authors: Hussain
authors: Susheela
authors: S
authors: Singh
mesh_terms: D000024:Abortion, Illegal; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003153:Community Health Services; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D011247:Pregnancy; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted; D015995:Prevalence; D034121:Reproductive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health