Have Others Had This Experience? A Qualitative Analysis of Posts on Self-Managed Abortion to US-Based Reddit Community

Abstract

Objectives: Limiting abortion within the formal health care system is associated with more self-managed abortion (SMA). Reddit is a publicly available social networking site that allows users to create and join communities ("subreddits") around a specific topic. R/abortion is a subreddit dedicated to providing support and advice to people seeking or having an abortion. The purpose of this study is to analyze r/abortion data after the Dobbs leak in 2022 to explore SMA access and use experiences shared in the community.

Methods: We employed a hybrid qualitative thematic analysis approach to describe experiences, concerns, and questions related to SMA as shared in posts from r/abortion. A simple random sample of 10% of posts was obtained from those shared from May 2, 2022 through December 23, 2022 (n = 523).

Results: Among the analyzed posts, 111 described experiences with SMA. Four themes emerged during the analysis. First, some posters noted concerns and questions related to online ordering and receiving mailed medication abortion, including shipping delays, cost, and discreet packaging. The second theme was related to concerns and questions about the SMA process, such as when and how to take medication, bleeding amount, and abortion completion. The final two themes were related to seeking support/advice for SMA and sharing SMA experiences, with community members seeking and sharing support to combat isolation while self-managing.

Discussion: R/abortion is an important resource for some people self-managing abortions. This study provided key insights into areas that are commonly discussed, which can inform the provision of practical support for SMA.

Keywords: abortion; medication abortion; qualitative research methods; united states.