However, health practitioners have described the claim by the Christian right anti-abortion outfit as misleading, warning that it lacks scientific evidence.

Speaking in an interview, a Pharmacist, Emeka Duru, said taking high doses of progesterone injection in an attempt to reverse a medical abortion is unsafe and exposes the woman to haemorrhage, blood clotting and blockage of the fallopian tubes.

Duru, who is a past National Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, maintained that there is no evidence that progesterone can stop an ongoing abortion.

He said, “Pregnancy is a natural thing and it takes a natural process for it to be established in the womb. The termination process of such established pregnancy is unnatural. And then you have already commenced the process of abortion and then, you go ahead to take another drug, a steroid to reverse it.

“This should not be encouraged because there must be some very fatal and dangerous effects. It will result in some gynaecological issues that may not be established right away, probably after a while.

Continuing, the pharmacist said, “We encourage Nigerians to only buy drugs that are registered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and must have gone through the process of research in our institutes, like the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.

“If a drug is already in the global market, and is to come to Nigeria, any Nigerian that wants to purchase this type of drug must make sure that such drug is registered with NAFDAC, for it to be legal in Nigeria or for it to be legally used in Nigeria.”

Duru urged Nigerians to avoid drugs considered to be dangerous, especially prescription drugs.

He noted that when it comes to using drugs registered by NAFDAC, the intended user must get a doctor’s prescription and also get it from the right source; that is from a registered pharmacy that is manned by a pharmacist to avoid health issues.

He enjoined pharmacists to desist from practices that go against the ethics of the profession and to also ensure that they do not encourage the use of drugs not registered medications not certified by NAFDAC.

On his part, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Joseph Akinde, said taking high doses of progesterone may reverse abortion in progress.

He, however, noted that the reversal is not always 100 per cent and the foetus may develop abnormalities.

Akinde, a past  Chairman, Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, said, “If the effect of the mifepristone is not nullified by the high doses of the progesterone that the woman took, then the abortion process will go to completion.

“So, the woman will be disappointed. On the other hand, she may be lucky, but she may still end up losing the pregnancy despite the fact that she had taken high doses of progesterone.”

Speaking on the health implications, the gynaecologist said if the drug succeeds in reversing the abortion, the baby may come down with abnormalities.

He said women should be cautious when taking reproductive health decisions, reiterating that the intake of high doses of progesterone may not reverse the abortion and that they may end up losing the pregnancy.

The way Abortion Pill Reversal works, according to experts, is that a pregnant woman who intends to abort within the first three months will first have to ingest mifepristone, after which she is expected to complete the process usually between 24 and 48 hours later with a second medication called misoprostol.

This is technically referred to as medical abortion and it must be strictly done under the supervision of a competent physician.

Abortion is illegal in Nigeria except if it becomes imperative for the safety of the mother or for medical reasons as may be advised by a competent physician.

Experts warn that once a pregnant woman takes mifepristone, the abortion will begin and that it is irreversible.

According to the World Health Organisation, six out of 10, of all unintended pregnancies end in an induced abortion.

“Around 45 per cent of all abortions are unsafe, of which 97 per cent take place in developing countries. Unsafe abortion is a leading – but preventable – cause of maternal deaths and morbidities.

“It can lead to physical and mental health complications, and social and financial burdens for women, communities and health systems”, WHO stated.

Source: healthwise