Abstract : This study was conducted among pregnant women admitted to two major public hospitals of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, with the diagnosis of loss of pregnancy during October 1, 1992, and September 20, 1993, using questionnaires and medical records while maintaining the anonymity of the patients. 2084 abortion cases were classified as induced abortion during this period. 2074 patients of these admitted having attempted to terminate their pregnancy themselves. Only 10 cases were classified as induced abortion based on clinical signs (cervical laceration and/or foreign objects in the vagina or the uterus). 59.7% of the women were 20-29 years old and 22.6% were under 20 years old. 4.3% were illiterate, and 73.2% had up to 8 grades of elementary education. 61.5% were either singles or did not have a stable relationship. 34% of the patients were homemakers and 10% were students. 26% of the sample had had a previous live birth, and 33.1% had had 2 or more previous births. Only 7.7% of the respondents were multiparas with five or more births. 22.2% had a history of previous induced abortion, while 11.8% had experienced a previous spontaneous abortion. 61.1% did not use any method of contraception; 12.3% used oral contraceptives, 5.3% used condoms, 11.2% used the rhythm method, 6.4% relied on coitus interruptus, and only 1.7% used injectables. 66% recounted having used misoprostol for the induction of abortion, either alone or in combination with another abortifacient. 34% of the patients reported inducing abortion by other means, including herbal medicines, injections, and insertion of foreign objects into the vagina. Among the 1369 women who admitted having used misoprostol, 89.8% mentioned the ingestion of the drug and simultaneously introducing it into the vagina. Approximately 4.0% and 6.4%, respectively, admitted having used misoprostol exclusively vaginally or orally.
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