Improving technologies to reduce abortion-related morbidity and mortality
Abstract
This article reviews the technologies used to diagnose pregnancy and manage abortion in developing countries. The author discusses methods of diagnosing pregnancy--including physical examination, laboratory and home testing, and ultrasound--as well as methods for performing safe abortions. Due to manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) advances, vacuum aspiration has become safer and more feasible in low-resource settings. The discussion of medical abortion includes the advantages and limitations of mifepristone, misoprostol-only regimens, methotrexate, and other methods. The author stresses the importance of post-abortion care and post-abortion contraception and, in the conclusion, identifies six areas in which technology can reduce abortion-related morbidity and mortality: pregnancy prevention, early diagnosis of pregnancy, accurate assessment of gestation, standardization and supply of MVA technology, and simple and affordable regimens for medical abortion
URI
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15147856http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/29535
Citation
Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2004 Jun;85 Suppl 1:S73-82.Publisher
University of Nairobi Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The World Bank, J8-805, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10377]