Abstract

Abortion is illegal in Iran, yet women go through the risks for various reasons. The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons why Kurdish women wanted to terminate their pregnancies, the methods used to induce the abortions, and their experience after abortion. The methodology for this study used a descriptive qualitative design. Five women with history of at least one induced abortion were interviewed in-depth for their abortion experiences. Reasons reported for induced abortions included financial problems, fear of people’s views and pressure from the husband. Abortion methods included the use of prostaglandin and dilation and curettage. Post abortion effects were both physical (including pain and bleeding) and emotional (mainly guilt and regret). Findings from this study suggest that midwives must take responsibility of effectively counselling women both before and after induced abortions, which may be performed for a variety of reasons. Health care professionals need to provide couples with guidance for appropriate contraceptive usage. Abortion after-care for women with physical and emotional needs is also crucial.

Key words: Qualitative research, induced abortion, post-abortion experience.