Complications of unsafe abortion in South West Nigeria: a review of 96 cases.

BACKGROUND

Induced abortion is common and largely performed under clandestine and unsafe conditions in Nigeria. Complications from such procedures contribute significantly to maternal morbidity and mortality in the country.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the sociodemographic characteristics and pattern of complications present in patients managed for unsafe abortion.

SETTING

The patients studied were treated in Federal Medical Centre, Ido Ekiti, a tertiary health institution located in a rural town and a main referral hospital in Ekiti State, South West Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY

The records of patients admitted for complications of unsafe abortion over a 5-year period were analyzed with regard to sociodemographic characteristics, gestational age at termination of pregnancy, the providers, methods used and the complications they develop.

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients were treated for complications of unsafe abortion during the period under review constituting 7.4% of total gynaecological admission. Majority (60.4%) of the patients were less than 25 years old, 74.0% were students while 81.3% were unmarried. Only 9.4% of the women had ever used contraceptives. Of all the cases, 21 (21.9%) were performed within 8 weeks of gestation while 47.9% were performed in the second trimester. Surgical uterine evacuation was the method used in 67.7% of the patients and 65.6% of the abortions were performed by non physicians. Sepsis was the commonest complication in the patients (79.2%) while uterine perforation was present in 12.5% of the women. The case fatality rate was 16.6% and unsafe abortion accounted for 30.8% of all maternal mortality during the period.

CONCLUSION

As young single nulliparous students are the principal sufferers of complications of unsafe abortion in this study, young persons, especially in-school adolescents, should be targeted for the provision of comprehensive reproductive health services.