Abstract:
This descriptive comparative study of a sample of 260 women aged 18 to 45 years, admitted
to Teaching Hospital, Jaffna with abortion (69 illegal 191 spontaneous abortions), during
the period of 1st of April 2002 to 31st of March 2003. Study was planned with the
objectives of describing the risk factors and outcome of illegal abortion by comparing them
with spontaneous abortions. The instrument used for data collection was an interviewer
administered, precoded, structured questionnaire. The study revealed that there is significant
difference in risk factors between two groups (illegal and spontaneous abortion) in the
categories of monthly income (P=0.008), age (P=0.04), parity (P=0.001), age of last child
(P=0.001), period of amenorrhea (P=0.001) and number of living children (P-0.001).
Similarly there is significant difference in outcome between two groups in the categories of
time interval between onset admission (P=0.001), duration of hospital stay (P=0.001),
amount of blood transfused (P=0.02), necessity for surgical intervention (P=0.001) and
immediate complication (P=0.001). It recommends that all mothers, who are on risk for
illegal abortion, should be identified and managed appropriately if illegal abortion occurred
in the contest of "safe the motherhood".
