CONTEXT
Abortion is highly
restricted by law in Senegal. Although women seek care for abortion
complications, no national estimate of abortion incidence exists.
METHODS
Data on postabortion care
and abortion in Senegal were collected in 2013 using surveys of a nationally
representative sample of 168 health facilities that provide postabortion care
and of 110 professionals knowledgeable about abortion service provision.
Indirect estimation techniques were applied to the data to estimate the
incidence of induced abortion in the country. Abortion rates and ratios were
calculated for the nation and separately for the Dakar region and the rest of
the country. The distribution of pregnancies by planning status and by outcome
was estimated.
RESULTS
In 2012, an estimated 51,500
induced abortions were performed in Senegal, and 16,700 (32%) resulted in
complications that were treated at health facilities. The estimated abortion
rate was 17 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 and the abortion ratio was 10 per 100
live births. The rate was higher in Dakar (21 per 1,000) than in the rest of
the country (16 per 1,000). Poor women were far more likely to experience
abortion complications, and less likely to receive treatment for complications,
than nonpoor women. About 31% of pregnancies were unintended, and 24% of
unintended pregnancies (8% of all pregnancies) ended in abortion.
CONCLUSIONS
Unsafe abortion exacts a
heavy toll on women in Senegal. Reducing the barriers to effective
contraceptive use and ensuring access to postabortion care without the risk of
legal consequences may reduce the incidence of and complications from unsafe
abortion.
Below: Estimated percentage distribution of abortions, by outcome, according to region and women’s characteristics, Senegal, 2012
Full article at: http://goo.gl/hdk18s
By:
Guttmacher Institute, New York.
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