Forecast | ICRH

Unsafe abortion remains a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in much of the developing world. Its consequences place great demands on the scarce clinical, material and financial resources of hospitals in many developing countries. Studies have shown that abortion is widely practiced among sex workers which poses great health risks to the mother. In the just concluded Mombasa cohort study for estimation of HIV-1 incidence involving 400 FSW who were not pregnant at baseline, 27% (109/400) conceived within nine months of follow up. Informal discussions with these women revealed that many of these pregnancies were unintended despite continuous counselling and FP provision by the study staff indicating an unmet need for FP. The main aim of the study is assess the family planning needs and the consequences of unintended pregnancies among female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya.