procedure, and a few reported two to four days of bleeding and/or abdominal pain. For example, 

a typical response was, 

The pains didn't last for two days and ceased. 

Two girls mentioned drinking a blood tonic, which they said, helped them feel better. 

Several of the participants just said that the procedure was  problem free.  Only three 

participants described notable problems after their abortion procedures. One described a 

complication two days after the hospital procedure. 

Well, two days later, I started experiencing some abdominal pains. I told the boy and we 

went to the hospital together. I explained to the nurse my condition and she gave me 

some drugs to take for a week. After the drugs, I was Okay. I never fell sick and I never 

went back there. [Eve] 

Two girls who had abortions at private clinics reported some problems immediately after 

the procedure. The first described her experience as follows: 

But then, I was in severe pains. I was also feeling dizzy and weak on my way home. So I 

went to sit under a tree for a while. When the dizziness was better, I went to buy the drugs 

that he prescribed for me went to a drug store and told them I have had an abortion but 

I'm still bleeding so profusely. So they gave me some drugs to take and after a few days 

the bleeding stopped. [Opal] 

This participant went to another private clinic provider for her next abortion because, she 

said she  bled too much  after the abortion at the first private clinic. Another participant said that 

she experienced a complication after her abortion, but she blamed it on herself for not following 

the provider's instructions. 

After the abortion, he gave me a prescription to go and get some drugs. I forgot about the 

prescription and went to work. But later on I started bleeding and experiencing severe 

pains. I was sent back to the man and he gave me some injections for the next five days. 

After that I got well and the bleeding and pains stopped. Since then, I decided I wasn't 

going to have an abortion anymore. [Rachel] 

Both participants recovered by the second week after their abortions. 

6.2.5  Cost of Clinic Abortions 

The cost of a clinic abortion, whether performed at the hospital, the Korle Bu Hospital 

nurses' quarters, or in a private clinic, ranged from 30,000 cedis to 300,000 cedis, according to 

the girls' reports. It was interesting that the participant who had obtained her abortion at a 

hospital in another area of Ghana was charged the lowest fee, 30,000 cedis. The average cost of 

an abortion obtained in or near Ga Mashi Town was closer to 90,000 or 100,000 cedis. The 

participants said that the fees charged by the person providing the abortion were sometimes 

based on the number of months the pregnancy had progressed. In one instance, a girl said she 

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