The landscape of abortion access has undergone a seismic shift; with widespread access to MA drugs, India is witnessing significant growth in using self-managed abortions (SMAs) nationwide. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and trends of SMAs, and the factors influencing women's decision to opt for SMAs, and their association with post abortion complications compared to provider-assisted abortion (PAA). 

The study used 7,696 women from a cohort of 724,115 respondents of NFHS-5 (2019-21) who disclosed their abortion experiences. The analyses revealed a steady growth of SMAs (19% to 44%) in the last 8 years, and adjusted odds found rural, young, and poor (OR:1.2) women from the eastern/central parts of India (OR: 5.6/4.5) with low gestation (OR: 5.0) were more likely to opt SMAs. In contrast, no significant variations were marked in post abortion complications between SMAs and PAAs, and it exhibits the potential to be as safe and effective as PAA. 

Sushanta K. Banerjee and Sumit Gulati. The Transformative Terrain: An In-Depth Analysis of Abortion Trends in India through NFHS-5 National Data. Unpublished Article. Submitted to PAA 2024.