Discussion
abortion
COMPLICATIONS
The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an intervention based on the 5A self-management model on improving of reproductive health-related behaviors in women after legal abortion. The study's initial findings indicated that there was no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of the demographic and reproductive information, which suggests that the random allocation method was successful. The matching of demographic and reproductive characteristics has been addressed in other clinical trials based on the 5A modelBased on the results, the total mean score of behavior and its dimensions in the intervention group two months after the intervention was significantly higher than before the intervention. However, there was no significant difference in the total mean score of behavior and its dimensions in the control group between the two times. These findings suggest that the self-management training program had a significant impact on improving reproductive health-related behaviors of the intervention group, that is, the training program could modify reproductive health-related behaviors. Abortion self-management has been investigated in several previous studies, which have also highlighted the importance of self-management interventions in promoting reproductive health.Assessing 99 studies on self-management of abortion and post-abortion care, Moseson et al. reported that the self-management of abortion care and post-abortion complications was effective in improving reproductive health outcomes in volunteer womenIn Iran, access to abortion services is restricted and is only performed in cases of medical indication and in hospitals. Nevertheless, special attention is given to post-abortion care in Iran to maintain the reproductive health of women, which is crucial for the country's health system. As another difference, while the 5A self-management model was used in the present study, no specific educational model was used in the aforementioned studies, yet all studies reported the success of self-management education in improving reproductive health outcomes. Not only these studies highlight the valuable impact of education on reproductive system, they also emphasize the potential of women to achieve empowerment and self-efficacy in maintaining their reproductive health. Therefore, it is important to emphasize self-management of abortion through education, particularly through the use of educational models.One of the limitations of the present study is that the research was implemented in Isfahan city. For more generalizability, more studies can be conducted in Isfahan province.