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What proportion of abortion seekers in Calabar are really pregnant?
Abstract
Objective: To determine what proportion of women seeking abortion services in Calabar were really pregnant.
Design and Setting: Cross sectional study on women in Calabar who seek and obtain abortion services. Calabar is the capital of Cross River State in South-Eastern part of Nigeria.
Subjects and Methods: Women who sought and obtained induced abortions in Calabar during the period of study were recruited into the study. The products of conception from the induced abortions were sent for histopathological examinations to confirm whether they were really pregnant.
Results: One Hundred and Fifty claimed to be pregnant and procured induced abortions but 17 (11.3%) women were not pregnant from the histological reports of the products of conception.
Conclusion: A significant proportion of women seeking abortion services in Calabar Nigeria are not pregnant. The routine use of pregnancy tests and/or ultrasonography could prevent a substantial proportion of unnecessary procedures. This will result in reduced health risks and substantial cost saving for women.
Keywords: pregnancy test, ultrasonography, induced abortion
Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Vol. 22(1) 2005: 12-15
