Morbidity and mortality due to unsafe abortion in Pakistan

Abstract

Healthcare providers performed the majority of terminations. To prevent maternal mortality, improved skills through refresher courses and workshops on safer methods are needed.

Critical care providers’ opinion on unsafe abortion in Argentina

“…Unsafe abortion, which occurs mainly in countries with restrictive abortion laws, still accounts for 13% of maternal deaths worldwide [5][6][7][8][9]. In Argentina, unsafe abortion is the main cause of maternal mortality [10] and a common reason for admission to the intensive care unit [4,11,12].…”

Induced Abortions and Unintended Pregnancies in Pakistan

“…Gazdar, Khan, and Qureshi (2012) found that the majority of postabortion complications in Pakistan arose when abortions were sought from untrained midwives or administered by the women themselves. In the developing world, including Pakistan, morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe abortion exert an enormous health, financial, and social burden on women and on the health care system as a whole (WHO 2003, 2011; Singh 2006; Shaikh et al 2010). Lack of appropriate postabortion care can lead to lifelong morbidity, contribute to maternal mortality, and adversely affect the health of future children (Dhillon et al 2004; Badshah et al 2008; Rahman, DaVanzo, and Razzaque 2010; Shaikh et al 2010; Ahman and Shah 2011; WHO 2011).…”

Abortion policies around the world and in Turkey and its reflection on women’s health

“…890.000 abortions on request are thought to be performed yearly. These are usually reported to be performed under unsafe circumstances and by uneducated individuals (Shaikh, Abbassi, Rizwan & Abbasi, 2010).…”

“…In the developed areas of the world where willful miscarriage is not restricted, the ratio of maternal deaths due to miscarriage to all maternal deaths is around 1%, whereas in countries that restrict/prohibit abortion, this ratio is seen to increase. The risk of mortality due to unsafe miscarriage is 1 in 250 for Asian women and 1 in 1900 for European women (Shaikh, Abbassi, Rizwan & Abbasi, 2010). In Malawi, located in the African continent, 67300 willful miscarriages are reported to occur annually, 23.5% of maternal deaths in the country are caused by willful abortions and the most important reason for this is said to be unsafe abortion practices (Kalilani-Phiri et all., 2014).…”

“…In the study of Shaikh et al on mortality and morbidity rates due to unsafe abortion in Pakistan, the rate of urogenital system injuries was reported as 74% and 12% of the women were reported to lose their lives due to these complications, 6% were reported to have colostomies and 4% were reported to have total abdominal hysterectomies (Shaikh, Abbassi, Rizwan & Abbasi, 2010).…”