Despite abortion being legally restricted and permitted only to save a woman’s life, it remains widely practiced, often in unsafe conditions by untrained providers and quacks. Legal and policy barriers, limited access to safe abortion services, social stigma, inadequate reproductive health education, and pervasive social stigma drive many women to seek unsafe abortions. In the last 25 years, Ipas has built evidence showing the urgent need to save women’ life and crash maternal mortality. Yet, because safe abortion care remains hidden in secrecy and stigma, many women procure unsafe procedures, costing their lives and fueling preventable deaths.
Project Learning Brief – Strengthening Access, Availability and Distribution of MA Combipack Products in Nigeria
This learning brief showcases successes and gaps that require strengthening to overcome procurement barriers, supply-chain inefficiencies, and limited awareness among health providers as well as government stakeholders that continue to hinder access to MA Combipack...
Assessment of the Bauchi State Law for Persons with Disabilities
Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation actively advocates for equitable health access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Collaborating with DisabilityLed Organizations (DLOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in states including Bauchi, Jigawa, Gombe, Ogun, Anambra, and Akwa Ibom, Ipas supports the development and domestication of national and state disability policies.
Drug sellers’ knowledge and practices, and client perspectives after an intervention to improve the quality of safe abortion care outside of formal clinics in Nigeria
In Nigeria, where abortion is legally restricted, individuals seek medication abortion drugs, including misoprostol, directly from pharmacies or drug sellers. However, knowledgeof drug sellers or patent medicine vendors(PMVs) dispensation practices and women’sexperience with self-management is limited and research suggests poor quality of services. This study assesses the knowledge and practices ofPMVs and women’s experiences after a harm reduction intervention to improve the provision of medication abortion using misoprostol.
The availability of Misoprostol in pharmacies and patent medicine stores in two Nigerian cities
As the glaring inequity in maternal death ratios becomes more apparent between countries in theNorthern and Southern Hemispheres, health experts try to achieve a reduction in their own nations’ pregnancy-related deaths. Perhaps no research holds as much potential to make a difference in the developing world as research conducted on the gynaecological indications of misoprostol. The media tend to portray that misoprostol is widely available among private sector pharmaceutical distributors in Nigeria, yet evidence is lacking to that effect.
An evaluation of a national intervention to improve the postabortion care content of midwifery education in Nigeria
To examine the impact of a national intervention to improve the postabortion care (PAC) content of midwifery education in Nigeria.
Misoprostol for the Treatment of Incomplete Abortion in Nigeria
Despite legal restriction, induced abortions and resulting complications are common in Nigeria. Misoprostol administration for incomplete abortion was introduced in 3 Nigerian hospitals. The feasibility of the hospitals, patient and provider acceptability were assessed using questionnaire and interview guides administered to 205 women and 17 providers respective
Assessing post‑abortion care using the WHO quality of care framework for maternal and newborn health: a cross‑sectional study in two African hospitals in humanitarian settings
Abortion-related complications remain a main cause of maternal mortality. There is little evidence on the availability and quality of post-abortion care (PAC) in humanitarian settings. We assessed the quality of PAC in two hospitals supported by an international organization in Jigawa State (Nigeria) and Bangui (Central African Republic, CAR).
Strengthening healthcare providers’ capacity for safe abortion and postabortion care services in humanitarian settings: lessons learned from the clinical outreach refresher training model (S-CORT) in Uganda, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Fragile and crisis-affected countries account for most maternal deaths worldwide, with unsafe abortion being one of its leading causes. This case study aims to describe the Clinical Outreach Refresher Training strategy for sexual and reproductive health (S-CORT) designed to update health providers’ competencies on uterine evacuation using both medications and manual vacuum aspiration. The paper also explores stakeholders’ experiences, recommendations for improvement, and lessons learned.
Improving health worker performance of abortion services: an assessment of post-training support to providers in India, Nepal and Nigeria
Health worker performance has been the focus of numerous interventions and evaluation studies in low- and middle-income countries. Few have examined changes in individual provider performance with an intervention encompassing post-training support contacts to improve their clinical practice and resolve programmatic problems. This paper reports the results of an intervention with 3471 abortion providers in India, Nepal and Nigeria.
Public hospital costs of treatment of abortion complications in Nigeria
Unsafe abortion is a significant contributor to maternal mortality in Nigeria, and treatment of postabortion complications drains public healthcare resources. Provider estimates of medications, supplies, and staff time
spent in 17 public hospitals were used to estimate the per-case and annual costs of postabortion care (PAC) provision in Ogun and Lagos states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Reasons for delay in reaching healthcare with severe abortion-related morbidities: Qualitative results from women in the fragile context of Jigawa state, Nigeria (AMoCo)
Maternal near-miss events are a key measure of maternal health; abortion-related complications are one source of near-miss events. To understand the pathway to care of women with severe abortion-related events in a fragile context, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with women who obtained treatment at a referral hospital in Jigawa State, Nigeria, in 2020–2021
High severity of abortion complications in fragile and conflict‑affected settings: a cross‑sectional study in two referral hospitals in sub‑Saharan Africa (AMoCo study)
Abortion-related complications are one of the five main causes of maternal mortality. However, research about abortion is very limited in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Our study aims to describe the magnitude and severity of abortion-related complications in two referral hospitals supported by Médecins Sans Frontières and located in such settings in northern Nigeria and Central African Republic (CAR).
The Burden of Unsafe Abortion in Humanitarian Settings in Nigeria: A case study on the Incidence of Unsafe Abortion in Borno State
This mixed-methods study assesses abortion incidence and unsafe abortion burden in Borno State, Nigeria.
Correlates of individual-level abortion stigma among women seeking elective abortion in Nigeria
This study aimed to measure individual-level abortion stigma (ILAS) and determine its correlates among women receiving safe elective abortion services.
Development and validation of a perceived abortion self-efficacy scale: results from Bolivia, Nepal and Nigeria
The objective of this research was to develop and assess the validity of a scale to measure perceived abortion self-efficacy (PASE). Perceived abortion self-efficacy is defined as an individual’s perceived confidence in their ability to carry out the tasks necessary to end a pregnancy safely and successfully.
Perceptions, fears, and experiences of abortion clients in Nigeria
This qualitative study aimed to examine how abortion clients in Nigeria perceive abortion
and explore the role their beliefs and fears play in their care-seeking experiences and interactions
with providers.
Knowledge and Practices Among Medical Abortion Seekers in Southeastern Nigeria
Nigeria has restrictive abortion laws; unsafe abortion and its complications are major public health challenges. Access to reproductive health services in Nigeria, including medical abortion, is poor. We determined the socio-demographic characteristics, patterns of abortion practices, and experiences of medical abortions among abortion seekers in southeastern Nigeria.
An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act/Law in Nigeria
This report evaluates the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act/Law implementation in Nigeria.
Building Evidence to Address the Menace of Sexual Violence and Unsafe Abortions in Nigeria
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious violation of human rights and a life-threatening health and protection issues. Gender-based violence can include sexual, physical, mental, and economic harm.
