ArticlePloS one2017
Incidence of induced abortion in Malawi, 2015.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Reducing underreporting of abortion in surveys: Results from two test applications of the list experiment method in Malawi and Senegal.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Midwives' perspectives and care practices for pregnant adolescents: a qualitative study in Northern Malawi.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Determinants of repeat miscarriage among adult women of reproductive age in Guanggu, Wuhan, China.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Exploring adolescent girls and young women's lived experiences of post abortion care at Thyolo district Hospital, Malawi.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Women's postpartum family planning use and intention in Ethiopia: Disparities in the agrarian and pastoral contexts from a community-based cross-sectional study.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Rethinking abortion law reform in Malawi: a multi-method study.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies amongst women and girls in Malawi during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Determinants of abortion among women of reproductive age in Ghana: multilevel analysis evidence from the 2022 Ghana demographic and health survey.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- The effect of youth-friendly health services on risk of pregnancy among adolescent girls and young women in Lilongwe, Malawi: a secondary analysis of the Girl Power-Malawi study.American journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Adolescent abortion care trajectories and safety in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia: A comparative mixed methods study.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Modeling Contraception and Pregnancy in Malawi: A Thanzi La Onse Mathematical Modeling Study.Studies in family planning · 2023Article
- Women's perceptions of and experiences with the use of misoprostol for treatment of incomplete abortion in central Malawi: a mixed methods study.Reproductive health · 2023Article
- Health care providers' perceptions of using misoprostol in the treatment of incomplete abortion in Malawi.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Experiences of Using Misoprostol in the Management of Incomplete Abortions: A Voice of Healthcare Workers in Central Malawi.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Reversal of Roe VS Wade - Implications on Women's Health in Malawi.Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi · 2022Article
- Article
- Health systems' preparedness to provide post-abortion care: assessment of health facilities in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Nigeria.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Life After Loss: A Prospective Analysis of Mortality Exposure and Unintended Fertility.Demography · 2022Article
- The Provider Role and Perspective in the Denial of Family Planning Services to Women in Malawi: A Mixed-Methods Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn Malawi, abortion is legal only if performed to save a woman's life; other attempts to procure an abortion are punishable by 7-14 years imprisonment. Most induced abortions in Malawi are performed under unsafe conditions, contributing to Malawi's high maternal mortality ratio. Malawians are currently debating whether to provide additional exceptions under which an abortion may be legally obtained. An estimated 67,300 induced abortions occurred in Malawi in 2009 (equivalent to 23 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44), but changes since 2009, including dramatic increases in contraceptive prevalence, may have impacted abortion rates.
methodsWe conducted a nationally representative survey of health facilities to estimate the number of cases of post-abortion care, as well as a survey of knowledgeable informants to estimate the probability of needing and obtaining post-abortion care following induced abortion. These data were combined with national population and fertility data to determine current estimates of induced abortion and unintended pregnancy in Malawi using the Abortion Incidence Complications Methodology.
resultsWe estimate that approximately 141,044 (95% CI: 121,161-160,928) induced abortions occurred in Malawi in 2015, translating to a national rate of 38 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-49 (95% CI: 32 to 43); which varied by geographical zone (range: 28-61). We estimate that 53% of pregnancies in Malawi are unintended, and that 30% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion. Given the challenges of estimating induced abortion, and the assumptions required for calculation, results should be viewed as approximate estimates, rather than exact measures.
conclusionsThe estimated abortion rate in 2015 is higher than in 2009 (potentially due to methodological differences), but similar to recent estimates from nearby countries including Tanzania (36), Uganda (39), and regional estimates in Eastern and Southern Africa (34-35). Over half of pregnancies in Malawi are unintended. Our findings should inform ongoing efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and to improve public health in Malawi.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.