The Role of Misoprostol in Scaling Up Postabortion Care

This letter, published in International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, presents the benefits of misoprostol for use in treating incomplete abortion. Its relative ease of use for this indication and cost-effectiveness, render misoprostol a key tool for scaling up access to postabortion care services in remote areas where deaths from unsafe abortion are common.

Expanding Access to Postabortion Care Services in Rwanda

This brief summarizes the final results of a comprehensive postabortion care (PAC) pilot program conducted by the Rwanda Ministry of Health and VSI to address maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion. The results demonstrate that enabling mid-level providers at health centers to provide PAC through the integration of misoprostol as a treatment method increases the availability of PAC services and brings them closer to women.

Expanding Access to Postabortion Care Services in Mozambique

VSI, AMOG and the Bixby Center at UC Berkeley conducted operations research addressing unsafe abortion with misoprostol in Mozambique. This research brief demonstrates that misoprostol is a promising alternative to surgical methods of treating incomplete abortion, and that expanding the level of health facility and provider trained on misoprostol can increase women’s access to these essential services.

Publications: Misoprostol for Treatment of Incomplete Abortion and Miscarriage

This table shows a summary of selected publications addressing the use of misoprostol for the treatment of incomplete abortion and miscarriage.

Misoprostol for PAC: Policy Endorsements

Misoprostol has been endorsed by the WHO, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics for treatment of incomplete abortion and miscarriage.

Misoprostol for Treatment of Incomplete Abortion in Madagascar

This brief, written in French, presents the findings from a study on misoprostol for treatment of incomplete abortion and miscarriage in Madagascar which demonstrate the safety and acceptability of the medication-based service. VSI supported partner Marie Stopes Madagascar in its implementation.

Misoprostol Use in Postabortion Care: A Service Delivery Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to help district or national-level clinicians, facility managers or program managers initiate the use of misoprostol as a medical treatment for incomplete abortion or integrate misoprostol into existing postabortion care services.

Click here to download the Toolkit in French. / La version française se trouve ici.

Click here to download the Toolkit in Portuguese. / Descarregar a versão em português aqui.