 A 1998 study of facilities in Nigeria which provide abortion found that only 5% of the total number in the country use saline.Once in common practice, abortion by intrauterine instillation has fallen out of favor, due to its association with serious adverse effects and its replacement by procedures which require less time and cause less physical discomfort.Saline is in general safer and more effective than the other intrauterine solutions because it is likely to work in one dose.