Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study
Prostitutes are vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies and abortions. In Brazil, abortion is a crime and there is no data about unsafe abortions for this population. The study describes how prostitutes perform illegal abortions and the health consequences thereof. Semi-structured interviews with 39 pro...
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Associação Brasileira de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva
2015-02-01
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doaj-6b907c42c3534663834a4876afc0bca82020-11-25T00:02:02ZengAssociação Brasileira de Pós-Graduação em Saúde ColetivaCiência & Saúde Coletiva1413-81232015-02-0120258759310.1590/1413-81232015202.11202014S1413-81232015000200587Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative studyAlberto Pereira MadeiroDebora DinizProstitutes are vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies and abortions. In Brazil, abortion is a crime and there is no data about unsafe abortions for this population. The study describes how prostitutes perform illegal abortions and the health consequences thereof. Semi-structured interviews with 39 prostitutes from three cities in Brazil with previous induced abortion experience were conducted. Sixty-six abortions, with between one and eight occurrences per woman, were recorded. The majority of the cases resulted from sexual activity with clients. The inconsistent use of condoms with regular clients and the consumption of alcohol during work were indicated as the main causes of unplanned pregnancies. The main method to perform abortion was the intravaginal and oral use of misoprostol, acquired in pharmacies or on the black market. Invasive measures were less frequently reported, however with more serious health complications. The fear of complaint to the police meant that most women do not inform the health team regarding induced abortion. The majority of prostitutes aborted with the use of illegally-acquired misoprostol, ending abortion in a public hospital with infection and hemorrhagic complications. The data indicate the need for a public policy focusing on the reproductive health of prostitutes.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-81232015000200587&lng=en&tlng=enAbortoProfissionais do sexoProstitutasMisoprostolSaúde Reprodutiva |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Alberto Pereira Madeiro Debora Diniz |
spellingShingle |
Alberto Pereira Madeiro Debora Diniz Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study Ciência & Saúde Coletiva Aborto Profissionais do sexo Prostitutas Misoprostol Saúde Reprodutiva |
author_facet |
Alberto Pereira Madeiro Debora Diniz |
author_sort |
Alberto Pereira Madeiro |
title |
Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study |
title_short |
Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study |
title_full |
Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study |
title_fullStr |
Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Induced abortion among Brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study |
title_sort |
induced abortion among brazilian female sex workers: a qualitative study |
publisher |
Associação Brasileira de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva |
series |
Ciência & Saúde Coletiva |
issn |
1413-8123 |
publishDate |
2015-02-01 |
description |
Prostitutes are vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies and abortions. In Brazil, abortion is a crime and there is no data about unsafe abortions for this population. The study describes how prostitutes perform illegal abortions and the health consequences thereof. Semi-structured interviews with 39 prostitutes from three cities in Brazil with previous induced abortion experience were conducted. Sixty-six abortions, with between one and eight occurrences per woman, were recorded. The majority of the cases resulted from sexual activity with clients. The inconsistent use of condoms with regular clients and the consumption of alcohol during work were indicated as the main causes of unplanned pregnancies. The main method to perform abortion was the intravaginal and oral use of misoprostol, acquired in pharmacies or on the black market. Invasive measures were less frequently reported, however with more serious health complications. The fear of complaint to the police meant that most women do not inform the health team regarding induced abortion. The majority of prostitutes aborted with the use of illegally-acquired misoprostol, ending abortion in a public hospital with infection and hemorrhagic complications. The data indicate the need for a public policy focusing on the reproductive health of prostitutes. |
topic |
Aborto Profissionais do sexo Prostitutas Misoprostol Saúde Reprodutiva |
url |
http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-81232015000200587&lng=en&tlng=en |
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