Although there has been major decrease in most leading causes of maternal deaths worldwide over the past two decades, one glaring exception remains: unsafe abortion. Estimates put the number of unsafe abortions each year at over 25 million, with 97% of them in developing countries, and which lead to at least 22,800 deaths and millions of serious complications.
Safe abortion is classified into two namely; Medical and Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA). Medication abortion means an abortion with pills involving two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, one of the main hormones of pregnancy, while misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and push out the pregnancy in a process similar to miscarriage. If mifepristone is not available, then misoprostol alone can also be used to induce an abortion.
On the other hand, Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is a simple outpatient procedure that involves inserting a narrow plastic tube into the uterus and safely removing the pregnancy using suction. MVA can be performed by many different kinds of health care workers (including doctors, nurses, and midwives) and in basic health care centers (without surgical services) until 14 weeks of pregnancy.
Aware that one in every four pregnancies around the world ends in abortion, more effort ought to be channeled towards the promotion of safe abortion. Safe abortion self- care includes the self-administration of medical abortion but could also mean self-management of other aspects of the abortion process, such as the post-abortion care.
For more details on how to self-manage an early abortion, please visit:
