PubMed · 11096929
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K Godfrey. Abortion by postcode.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11096929/
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BACKGROUND: More than 30 000 legal abortions are performed every year in Sweden despite sexual education in schools, widespread youth-clinics and family planning services that are free of charge. The aim of this study was to investigate reasons for induced abortion, contraceptive habits and reasons for contraceptive failure among women presenting for induced abortion. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 591 Swedish-speaking women consecutively attending three different health care providers concerning an induced abortion during spring 2000. RESULTS: The response rate was 88% (n = 518). As many as 43%, among daily smokers 53%, had experienced one or more previous legal abortions. The majority of the women (97%) had discussed the decision about abortion with someone. The most cited reasons contributing to their decision were financial concerns, worries about the relationship and bad timing of the pregnancy. Though 85% had used contraception during the previous year, 36% of the women had not used any contraceptive method at the time of conception. The main reason given for not using contraception was the belief that they could not at that time become pregnant (35%). Ninety percent of the women planned to use contraception after the abortion. CONCLUSION: Women's decisions regarding induced abortion are multifactorial. One important reason was "poor economy". One out of three did not use any contraception, as they believed they could not become pregnant. Women presenting for induced abortion are a risk-group for further terminations. Counseling must include information about the fertile window, effective contraceptives and the emergency contraceptive pill.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge, experiences and attitudes towards emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) among women presenting for induced abortion. DESIGN: Survey by self-administered waiting room questionnaires. SETTING: Three large hospitals in the cities of Uppsala, Västerås and Orebro in Sweden. POPULATION: 591 Swedish-speaking women consecutively attending the clinics for an induced abortion during a four-month period in 2000. RESULTS: The response rate was 88% (n = 518). As many as 43% had a history of one or more previous abortions and 43% were daily smokers. Four out of five women, 83%, were aware of ECP, but only 15 women used it to prevent this pregnancy. Fewer, 38%, knew the recommended timeframes for use and 54% had knowledge of the mode of action. The two most common sources of information about ECP were media and friends. One out of five, 22%, had previously used the method, and at the time of conception, 55% would have taken ECP if it had been available at home, and 52% were positive to having ECP available over the counter. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency contraception is well known but is still underused. Lack of awareness of pregnancy risk may be one limiting factor for its use. Making ECP available over the counter may be an important measure towards better availability. Information strategies to the public are needed before ECP will be a widely used back-up method.
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