Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Advance Access
    • Archive
    • Supplements
    • Special Collections
    • Topic Collections
  • For Authors
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Tips for Writing About Programs in GHSP
      • Local Voices Webinar
      • Connecting Creators and Users of Knowledge
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Publish a Supplement
    • Promote Your Article
    • Resources for Writing Journal Articles
  • About
    • About GHSP
    • Editorial Team
    • Advisory Board
    • FAQs
    • Instructions for Reviewers

User menu

  • My Alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
Global Health: Science and Practice
  • My Alerts

Global Health: Science and Practice

Dedicated to what works in global health programs

Advanced Search

  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Advance Access
    • Archive
    • Supplements
    • Special Collections
    • Topic Collections
  • For Authors
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Tips for Writing About Programs in GHSP
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Publish a Supplement
    • Promote Your Article
    • Resources for Writing Journal Articles
  • About
    • About GHSP
    • Editorial Team
    • Advisory Board
    • FAQs
    • Instructions for Reviewers
  • Alerts
  • Find GHSP on LinkedIn
  • Visit GHSP on Facebook
  • RSS
REVIEW
Open Access

Postabortion Care: 20 Years of Strong Evidence on Emergency Treatment, Family Planning, and Other Programming Components

Douglas Huber, Carolyn Curtis, Laili Irani, Sara Pappa and Lauren Arrington
Global Health: Science and Practice September 2016, 4(3):481-494; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00052
Douglas Huber
aInnovative Development Expertise & Advisory Services, Inc. (IDEAS), Boxford, MA, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: DouglasHuber777@yahoo.com
Carolyn Curtis
bUnited States Agency for International Development, Washington, DC, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Laili Irani
cPopulation Reference Bureau, Health Policy Project, Washington, DC, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sara Pappa
dPalladium, Health Policy Project, Washington, DC, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Lauren Arrington
eUniversity of Maryland, St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, MD, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Figures & Tables
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • PDF
Loading

Figures & Tables

Tables

    • View popup
    TABLE 1 Gray Scale of Strength of Evidence
    Strength of EvidenceDescription
    IStrong evidence from at least one systematic review of multiple well-designed, randomized controlled trials.
    IIStrong evidence from at least one properly designed, randomized controlled trial of appropriate size.
    IIIaEvidence from well-designed trials/studies without randomization that include a control group (e.g., quasi-experimental, matched case-control studies, pre-post with control group).
    IIIbEvidence from well-designed trials/studies without randomization that do not include a control group (e.g., single group pre-post, cohort, time series/interrupted time series).
    IVEvidence from well-designed, nonexperimental studies from more than one center or research group.
    VOpinions of respected authorities, based on clinical evidence, descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees.
    • Note: Gray includes 5 levels of evidence. For the “What Works” compendiums, level III was subdivided to differentiate between studies and evaluations whose design included control groups (IIIa) and those that did not (IIIb).101 Qualitative studies can be classified as either level IV or V, depending on number of study participants and other factors. For more detail about these types of studies and their strengths and weaknesses, see Gray (2009).7

    • View popup
    TABLE 2 Effectiveness and Satisfaction With Treatment for Incomplete Abortion, Misoprostol Compared With Surgical Evacuation, 10 Countries, 2005–2012
    ArticleCountry (Sample Size)Study Design: Misoprostol/ Surgical Comparison GroupEffectiveness: % With Complete Evacuation% Client Satisfaction With ProcedureComments
    Blandine 201217Burkina Faso (N = 99)400 mcg misoprostol sublingually/ referral for surgicalM: 98%M: 99%PAC with misoprostol introduced to 2 district hospitals with no previous PAC service. All eligible women chose misoprostol over optional referral for MVA.
    Dao 200718Burkina Faso (N = 447)600 mcg misoprostol orally/MVAM: 94%
    S: 99%
    M: 97%
    S: 98%
    2 teaching hospitals.
    Weeks 200514Uganda (N = 317)600 mcg misoprostol orally/MVAM: 96%
    S: 92%
    M: 94%
    S: 95%
    Misoprostol was associated with less pain and fewer complications but increased bleeding. All received antibiotics after treatment.
    Taylor 201119Ghana (N = 230)600 mcg misoprostol orally/MVAM: 98%
    S: 99%
    M: 94%
    S: 89%
    44% were very satisfied with misoprostol vs. 8% with MVA; 95% of those treated with misoprostol would choose it again vs. 36% treated with MVA.
    Shwekerela 200720Tanzania (N = 150)600 mcg misoprostol orally/MVAM: 99%
    S: 100%
    M: 99%
    S: 100%
    75% were very satisfied with misoprostol vs.55% with MVA; more side effects were associated with misoprostol; greater pain with MVA.
    Bique 200721Mozambique (N = 270)600 mcg misoprostol orally/MVAM: 91%
    S: 100%
    M: 96%
    S: 100%
    87% were very satisfied with misoprostol vs. 37% with MVA; trained midwife provided MVA with only verbal anesthesia; tertiary hospital site.
    Montesinos 201122Ecuador (N = 242)600 mcg misoprostol orally/MVAM: 94%
    S: 100%
    M: 96%
    S: 97%
    47% were very satisfied with misoprostol vs. 40% with MVA; ultrasound use decreased threefold for misoprostol and MVA in 1 year.
    Shochet 201223Senegal (N = 199)
    Niger (N = 152)
    Mauritania (N = 119)
    Nigeria (N = 51)
    Burkina Faso (N = 318)
    400 mcg misoprostol sublingually/ standard surgical care (MVA or D&C)Senegal
    M: 93%
    S: 100%
    Niger
    M: 89%
    S: 100%
    Mauritania
    M: 91%
    S: 100%
    Nigeria
    M: 96%
    S: 100%
    Burkina Faso
    M: 98%
    S: 100%
    Overall in the 5 countries M: 99%
    S:98%
    Antibiotics given with the surgical option; success rates much higher with misoprostol after first month from introduction. Ultrasound not needed on site. Nurses and midwives had prominent roles in care in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal.
    • Abbreviations: D&C, dilation and curettage; M, misoprostol; MVA, manual vacuum aspiration; PAC, postabortion care; S, surgical.

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Global Health: Science and Practice: 4 (3)
Global Health: Science and Practice
Vol. 4, No. 3
September 28, 2016
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by Author
  • Complete Issue (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about Global Health: Science and Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Postabortion Care: 20 Years of Strong Evidence on Emergency Treatment, Family Planning, and Other Programming Components
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Global Health: Science and Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the Global Health: Science and Practice web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Postabortion Care: 20 Years of Strong Evidence on Emergency Treatment, Family Planning, and Other Programming Components
Douglas Huber, Carolyn Curtis, Laili Irani, Sara Pappa, Lauren Arrington
Global Health: Science and Practice Sep 2016, 4 (3) 481-494; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00052

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Postabortion Care: 20 Years of Strong Evidence on Emergency Treatment, Family Planning, and Other Programming Components
Douglas Huber, Carolyn Curtis, Laili Irani, Sara Pappa, Lauren Arrington
Global Health: Science and Practice Sep 2016, 4 (3) 481-494; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00052
del.icio.us logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Jump to section

  • Article
    • ABSTRACT
    • INTRODUCTION
    • METHODS AND SCOPE
    • FINDINGS
    • PAC PROGRAM AND PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS
    • POLICY, ADVOCACY, AND FUTURE RESEARCH
    • Acknowledgments
    • Notes
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Tables
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • A systematic review of the effectiveness of counselling strategies for modern contraceptive methods: what works and what doesnt?
  • Opportunities and Challenges of Delivering Postabortion Care and Postpartum Family Planning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • The cost of maternal health services in low-income and middle-income countries from a providers perspective: a systematic review
  • Postabortion Care and the Voluntary Family Planning Component: Expanding Contraceptive Choices and Service Options
  • Postabortion Care in Humanitarian Emergencies: Improving Treatment and Reducing Recurrence
  • Reducing Barriers to Postabortion Contraception: The Role of Expanding Coverage of Postabortion Care in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • Womens Satisfaction With and Perceptions of the Quality of Postabortion Care at Public-Sector Facilities in Mainland Tanzania and in Zanzibar
  • Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy: Reducing Mortality Among Women and Their Children
  • Voluntary Contraceptive Uptake Among Postabortion Care Clients Treated With Misoprostol in Rwanda
  • Findings and Lessons Learned From Strengthening the Provision of Voluntary Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives With Postabortion Care in Guinea
  • What Factors Contribute to Postabortion Contraceptive Uptake By Young Women? A Program Evaluation in 10 Countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
  • Post-abortion care with misoprostol - equally effective, safe and accepted when administered by midwives compared to physicians: a randomised controlled equivalence trial in a low-resource setting in Kenya
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Simulation-Based Education of Health Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
  • Antenatal Care Interventions to Increase Contraceptive Use Following Birth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis
  • Interventions to Address the Health and Well-Being of Married Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Show more REVIEW

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Health Topics
    • Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
    • Postabortion Care
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Follow Us On

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Articles

  • Current Issue
  • Advance Access Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Topic Collections
  • Most Read Articles
  • Supplements

More Information

  • Submit a Paper
  • Instructions for Authors
  • Instructions for Reviewers

About

  • About GHSP
  • Advisory Board
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ISSN: 2169-575X

Powered by HighWire