This document is a detailed report of the study conducted to understand in great detail the subjective experiences and depth of knowledge of women with respect to medical abortion. The David & Lucile Packard Foundation had commissioned a research among married women with 2 or more children in the locations of Varanasi and Indore with the key goal of exploring medical abortion (MA) knowledge, use and experience. The 2-part study constituting a simulation exercise in an orchestrated environment, followed by an ethnography exercise in the respondents’ home environment, was aimed to map the user journey for self-use of MA and to understand the current positioning of Self-Use of Medical Abortion among the various contraception options available. The study also focused on exploring a nuanced understanding of the beneficiaries’ experience of self-use of medical abortion (MA) so as to inform the communication and language suitable for communicating the MA experience. The study helps advance the foundation’s efforts in positioning MA adequately in the RH continuum. Further it will inform an approach to supporting provider-led interventions.

Demystifying subjective experiences & depth of knowledge with regards to self-use of medical abortion. Purple Audacity Research & Innovation Pvt ltd. 2020.