title: Abortion and fertility control in Pakistan: the role of misoprostol.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine how availability of misoprostol has impacted women's abortion-seeking behaviour in Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focused ethnography.
  
  
  METHODS
  A facility providing reproductive health services, including induced abortions in Chakwal, a small town in Northern Punjab, Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women who came to the clinic seeking an abortion or who had had one in the last 6 months (n=23) and all healthcare providers working in the facility (n=14).
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews (n=37), a focus group discussion (n=1) and participant observation (n=41). Latent content analysis was conducted drawing on principles of constant comparison to generate key themes in reported experiences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the respondents had sought an abortion to limit their fertility. Although some reported contraceptive use, improper use, undesirable side effects and restrictions on use had led to the unwanted pregnancy. All the women specifically requested misoprostol within days of their pregnancy, suggesting that they not only had knowledge of misoprostol as a backup in case of contraceptive failure, but may have pre-planned its use ofin place ofusing contraception. Women reconciled their decision to undergo an abortion by describing it as a mistake, miscarriage or menstrual cycle issue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Misoprostol's availability, ease of use and effectiveness have increased the role of abortion in fertility control.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Harneet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chahal
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Zubia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mumtaz
keywords: Family Planning; Fertility control; Misoprostol; Non-Governmental Organizations; Pakistan; abortion