Clandestine and unsafe abortion in Cape Verde: epidemiological profile and associated factors

In Cape Verde, although abortion is legal, a significant number of cases are performed clandestinely using medication without a medical prescription. This practice is associated with social, religious, political, and cultural issues, particularly gender issues. It is more prevalent among vulnerable girls with low education, single women, and those in difficult situations. This practice affects their quality of life and sexual and reproductive health and can potentially lead to death in extreme cases. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of these factors linked to clandestine abortion and its complications in Cape Verde. A population-based cross-sectional study will be conducted using IDSR-III survey data, analyzing a subset of women aged 15 to 49 whose pregnancy resulted in spontaneous abortion, induced abortion, or stillbirth. The study will explore the characteristics of the study population using descriptive analyses, and simple and multiple logistic regression models will be used to determine which socioeconomic variables are associated.