ArticleBMJ open2020
Women's self-reported experiences using misoprostol obtained from drug sellers: a prospective cohort study in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- How, when and where? A systematic review on abortion decision making in legally restricted settings in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.BMC women's health · 2022Pooled it
- Medical abortion offered in pharmacy versus clinic-based settings.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Severity and management of postabortion complications in Kenya: results from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Ensuring an enabling environment for abortion self-care: individuals' experiences with self-managed abortion in India.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Self-managed medical abortion in Nigeria: a prospective, comparative study of clinical outcomes for a misoprostol-alone regimen obtained from patent medicine vendors compared to clinics.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Supporting self-managed abortion care in "practice not premise": a qualitative study of provider perspectives, roles, and information pathways to care in India.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Acceptability of misoprostol-only medication abortion dispensed by mail-order or retail pharmacy: a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews in the United States.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Capturing pregnancy recognition trajectories: a critical reflection of new quantitative measures tested in Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Delayed decision-making, failed abortion attempts and factors associated with second-trimester abortions in Liberia.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Self-Managed Medication Abortion: History, Evidence, Models of Care, and Policy Considerations.American journal of public health · 2025Article
- Inequities in safe abortion: women's care trajectories in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Factors influencing abortion duration, bleeding volume, pain scores, and anxiety levels during medical abortion: a cross-sectional study.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- A qualitative study of abortion decision-making trajectories among pregnant women at their first antenatal care visit in Kampala, Uganda.Journal of global health · 2025Article
- Quality of Information on Medication Abortion in Private Pharmacies: Results from a Mystery Client Study in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Seeking abortion medications online: experiences from a mystery client study in Colombia.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Preventing Unintended Pregnancies and HIV Through Self-Care Interventions in East and Southern Africa: Findings From a Structured Review.Public health reviews · 2025Review
- Quality of care offered by health care retail markets for medication abortion self-management: Findings from states in Nigeria and India.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- A descriptive summary of the WHO availability assessments of medical abortion medicines in eight African countries.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Motivations for using misoprostol for abortion outside the formal healthcare system in Colombia: a qualitative study of women seeking postabortion care in Bogotá and the Coffee Axis.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Predictors and experiences of seeking abortion services from pharmacies in Nepal.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of self-managed misoprostol abortions obtained outside of the formal health system in Lagos State, Nigeria.
designThis was a prospective cohort study among women using misoprostol-containing medications purchased from drug sellers. Three telephone-administered surveys were conducted over 1 month.
settingData were collected in 2018 in six local government areas in Lagos State.
participantsDrug sellers attempted to recruit all women who purchased misoprostol-containing medication. To remain in the study, participants had to be female and aged 18-49, and had to have purchased the medication for the purpose of abortion. Of 501 women initially recruited, 446 were eligible for the full study, and 394 completed all three surveys. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Using self-reported measures, we assessed the quality of information provided by drug sellers; the prevalence of potential complications; and the proportion with completed abortions.
resultsAlthough drug sellers provided inadequate information about the pills, 94% of the sample reported a complete abortion without surgical intervention about 1 month after taking the medication. Assuming a conservative scenario where all individuals lost to follow-up had failed terminations, the completion rate dropped to 87%. While 86 women reported physical symptoms suggestive of complications, only six of them reported wanting or needing health facility care and four subsequently obtained care.
conclusionsDrug sellers are an important source of medical abortion in this setting. Despite the limitations of self-report, many women appear to have effectively self-administered misoprostol. Additional research is needed to expand the evidence on the safety and effectiveness of self-use of misoprostol for abortion in restrictive settings, and to inform approaches that support the health and well-being of people who use this method of abortion.
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