Department of Population and Health, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2021 Apr 20;16(4):e0248478. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248478. eCollection 2021.
Abortions remain one of the highest contributors to maternal deaths in Ghana. In 2003, a policy on post-abortion care was introduced to help reduce abortion-related mortality and morbidity. However, depending on the method of pregnancy termination; women encounter varying experiences. This study examines the experiences of women seeking post-abortion care services in a Regional Hospital in Ghana.
In-depth interview technique was used to collect data from 20 purposively selected post-abortion care clients at the Volta Regional Hospital. Data were analysed manually using a qualitative content analysis technique.
The study found that medical abortion was the main method of pregnancy termination used by women who participated in the study to induce abortion. Spontaneous abortion, however, was attributed mainly to engaging in activities that required the use of excessive energy and travelling on bad roads by pregnant women. The study also revealed that, women do not seek early post-abortion care services due to stigma and poverty.
We found that severity of pain from complications, stigma and financial constraints were factors that influenced women's decision to seek post-abortion care services. Our findings also suggest that women who experienced spontaneous abortion mainly received financial and emotional support from partners and other family members. To encourage women to seek early post-abortion care services, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service should take pragmatic steps to educate women on the dangers associated with delay in seeking post-abortion care services and the factors that expose women to spontaneous abortions.
在加纳，堕胎仍然是导致产妇死亡的主要原因之一。2003 年，出台了一项关于流产后护理的政策，以帮助降低与堕胎相关的死亡率和发病率。然而，根据终止妊娠的方法不同，女性会有不同的体验。本研究考察了加纳一家地区医院寻求流产后护理服务的女性的经历。
采用深入访谈技术，从沃尔特地区医院的 20 名有目的地选择的流产后护理患者中收集数据。使用定性内容分析技术对数据进行手动分析。
研究发现，医学流产是参与研究的妇女用来堕胎的主要妊娠终止方法。然而，自然流产主要归因于孕妇从事需要过度体力活动和在路况不佳的道路上旅行的活动。研究还表明，由于耻辱感和贫困，妇女不会寻求早期流产后护理服务。
我们发现，并发症的疼痛严重程度、耻辱感和经济限制是影响妇女寻求流产后护理服务的决定因素。我们的研究结果还表明，经历自然流产的妇女主要从伴侣和其他家庭成员那里获得经济和情感支持。为了鼓励妇女寻求早期流产后护理服务，卫生部和加纳卫生局应采取切实可行的步骤，教育妇女延迟寻求流产后护理服务的危险，以及使妇女面临自然流产的因素。
