ObjectiveTo explore the experiences of women in Scotland who return home to complete medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) ≤63 days of gestation, after being administered with mifepristone and misoprostol at an NHS TOP clinic.DesignQualitative interview study.SettingOne National Health Service health board (administrative) area in Scotland.Population or SampleWomen in Scotland who had undergone medical TOP ≤63 days, and self‐managed passing the pregnancy at home; recruited from three clinics in one NHS health board area between January and July 2014.MethodsIn‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 44 women in Scotland who had recently undergone TOP ≤63 days of gestation, and who returned home to pass the pregnancy. Data were analysed thematically using an approach informed by the Framework method.Main outcome measuresWomen's experiences of self‐management of TOP ≤63 days of gestation.ResultsKey themes emerging from the analysis related to self‐administration of misoprostol in clinic; reasons for choosing home self‐management; facilitation of self‐management and expectation‐setting; experiences of getting home; self‐managing and monitoring treatment progress; support for self‐management (in person and remotely); and pregnancy self‐testing to confirm completion.ConclusionsParticipants primarily found self‐administration of misoprostol and home self‐management to be acceptable and/or preferable, particularly where this was experienced as a decision made jointly with health professionals. The way in which home self‐management is presented to women at clinic requires ongoing attention. Women could benefit from the option of home administration of misoprostol.Tweetable abstractWomen undergoing medical TOP 63 days found home self‐management to be acceptable and/or preferable.

The media play a significant part in shaping public perceptions of health issues, and abortion attracts continued media interest. Detailed examination of media constructions of abortion may help to identify emerging public discourse. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine if and how the print media in contributes to the stigmatisation of abortion. Articles from seven British and five Scottish national newspapers from 2010 were analysed for overall framings of abortion and emergent themes, including potentially stigmatising discursive constructs and language. Abortion was found to be presented using predominantly negative language and discursive associations as ‘risky’, and in association with other ‘discredited’ social practices. Key perspectives were found to be absent or marginalised, including those of women who have sought abortion. Few articles framed abortion as a positive and legitimate choice. Negative media representations of abortion contribute to the stigmatisation of the procedure and of women who have it, and reflect a discrediting of women's reproductive decision-making. There is a need to challenge the notion that abortion stigma is inevitable, and to encourage positive framings of abortion in the media and other public discourse.

Reasons for seeking later abortion are complex and varied among women in Scotland, and suggest that reducing barriers to access and improving local provision of such abortions are a necessity. The candidacy framework allows for a fuller understanding of the difficulties involved in obtaining abortions.