Why does abortion occur

Please view the abstract and methods portion of the most recent Abortion Surveillance Report for more information on compilation of the report.

Surveillance systems, such as this one, continue to provide data necessary to examine trends in public health. In addition to the data available in the annual Abortion Surveillance Report, data from to are also available for abortions distributed by state of residence and state of clinical service.

No additional data are available for public use. In , , legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 49 reporting areas. Among 48 reporting areas with data each year during —, in , a total of , abortions were reported, the abortion rate was In , the total number, rate, and ratio of reported abortions decreased to historic lows for the period of analysis for all three measures.

Similar to previous years, in , women in their twenties accounted for the majority of abortions The majority of abortions in took place early in gestation: In , Source: MMWR. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Reproductive Health. Section Navigation. It normally takes about 10 to 20 minutes and you're usually able to go home the same day. You do not usually need to have any other tests or appointments after a surgical abortion, or a medical abortion in hospital.

If you have a medical abortion at home, you may need to have a special kind of pregnancy test or scan to make sure the pregnancy has ended. If you have a medical abortion, you may have short-lived side effects from the medicines, such as diarrhoea and feeling sick.

If you have a surgical abortion, the general anaesthetic and sedation medicines can also have side effects. For all types of abortion, it's likely you'll have some stomach cramps pain and vaginal bleeding. Bleeding usually lasts a week or two. Sometimes light vaginal bleeding after a medical abortion can last up to a month. You can usually return to normal activities as soon as you feel comfortable to, including having a bath or shower, using tampons, exercising including swimming and heavy lifting.

The clinic will give you the number of a hour helpline to call if you're worried. If you cannot find the number, contact a GP or It's against the law to try to cause your own abortion. This includes buying abortion pills online. Page last reviewed: 24 April Next review due: 24 April Twelve percent of women gave reasons for choosing abortion related to their desire to give the child a better life than she could provide.

I couldn't and the man was abusive and horrible… I didn't want my kid to grow up with a father like that knowing his father had left. An abortion was the best option. I can't get anyone to rent to me because I have had an eviction and haven't had a steady job. While never mentioned as the only reason for choosing abortion, 13 respondents said that lack of help to care for the baby was one reason they chose abortion.

I can't take care of myself yet, let alone another person. I wouldn't want to bring a baby into this world with parents who aren't ready to be parents. I don't think that I would be strong enough to give it up for adoption.

Using mixed effects multivariate logistic regression analyses, we examined the social and demographic predictors of the predominant themes women gave for seeking an abortion Table 3. Significant predictors of reporting financial reasons for seeking an abortion included marital status, education level, and not having enough money to meet basic living needs.

Women who gave financial reasons for seeking an abortion were more likely to have a higher level of education [Odds Ratio OR 1. Women who reported reasons related to the need to focus on other children now were significantly more likely to have a lower pregnancy intentions score OR 0. All women who reported this as a reason had one or more children. Women who reported that this is not the right time for a baby as a reason for seeking abortion had a lower pregnancy intentions score OR 0.

Women who gave partner related reasons were significantly more likely to be African American OR 0. Older women OR 1. Women who chose abortion because they felt having a baby would interfere with her future plans were more likely to be younger OR 0. Women who were African American OR 0. Women who reported having sufficient money to meet basic needs OR 0. Women with a history of depression or anxiety OR 3.

Women who rated their health as good OR 0. Women who chose abortion because they wanted to give the baby a better life than they could provide were significantly more likely to have more than a high school education OR 1. Women who gave lack of independence or immaturity as a reason for seeking abortion were more likely to be younger OR 0. Marital status was excluded in the model because of problems with collinearity with the outcome. Reporting influences from friends and family as a reason for seeking abortion was significantly predicted by age and pregnancy intentions.

Women who report this reason were more likely to be younger OR 0. Their average pregnancy intentions score was higher when compared to women giving other reasons 3. The findings from this study demonstrate that the reasons women seek abortion are complex and interrelated. This methodology enabled us to get a wide range of responses that otherwise would not have been gathered. While some women stated only one factor that contributed to their desire to terminate their pregnancies, others pointed to a myriad of factors that, cumulatively, resulted in their seeking an abortion.

Even with changes in the climate surrounding abortion and the shifting demographics of the women having abortions, the predominant reasons women gave for seeking abortion reflected those of previous studies [ 6 ].

Some women held the belief that her unborn child deserves to be raised under better circumstances than she can provide at this time; in an environment where the child is financially secure and part of a stable and loving family.

Some women also seem to have internalized gendered norms that value women as self-denying and always thinking in the best interest of her children, over making self-interested decisions. Experiences of stigma, fear of experiencing stigma, or internalized stigma around her abortion may have prompted women to give more socially desirable responses to make her appear or feel selfless, to justify her abortion decision.

At the same time, some of the women seeking abortion in this study were aiming to secure themselves a better life and future- chances for a better job and a good education. Denying women an abortion, which occurred among one quarter of the women interviewed in this study, may have a significant negative impact on her health, her existing children and other family members, and her future. Policies that restrict access to abortion must acknowledge that such women will need added support e.

In some cases, where women are struggling with abuse or health issues, continuing an unwanted pregnancy to term may be associated with even greater than normal risks of childbirth. This study should be viewed in light of its limitations. Many women may have been deterred from enrolling because participation required bi-annual interviews for a period of 5 years. Nonetheless, our sample demographics, with the exception of our overrepresentation of women beyond the first trimester, closely mirror the national estimates of women seeking abortion in the US, suggesting that our results are generalizable [ 24 , 25 ].

The greater proportion of women in our sample seeking abortions at later gestational ages and without fetal anomalies allows us to make inferences about a previously understudied group.

Gestational age at the time of the interview was unrelated to any of the major themes mentioned. Other studies have found that late gestational age was an important predictor of termination because of concerns about the health of the fetus [ 9 ]. Thus, among women without fetal anomalies, reasons for seeking abortion are not different whether women sought abortion early or late in pregnancy. This suggests that factors other than the reasons for desiring an abortion play a role in seeking later abortions.

A small number of women stated that concern for the fetus while using contraception or other medications was a reason for seeking abortion pointing to an area for intervention. The general consensus in the literature is that birth control use during pregnancy is unlikely to have negative consequences for the development of the fetus [ 26 - 29 ]. A better understanding of the potential impact of the contraceptive methods and other medications on a developing fetus can help women be better informed when deciding whether nor not to have an abortion.

Laws requiring waiting periods, mandated counseling, and parental involvement for adolescents are motivated in part by a desire to protect women from making uninformed decisions and from being coerced into having an abortion. Prior research suggests that, women who feel the abortion decision is not completely their own have more difficulty coping following an abortion [ 30 ]. Our study, like most studies of women seeking abortions [ 9 ], finds that few women report pressure from others as a reason for seeking abortion.

Our study design, however, did not allow us to assess the level of pressure women experienced. The pressure women felt may have varied in degree from statements of a mild lack of support for continuing a pregnancy to strong and specific statements about a lack of future emotional or financial support for the pregnancy or potential child. Health care providers should continue to assess and confirm that women are able to make their own decision about whether or not to continue or end a pregnancy.

Women who experience pressure may benefit from additional emotional support if they choose to proceed with abortion. In recent years, politicians, advocacy organizations and the media have extensively debated issues related to the funding, provision, utilization, and morality of abortion, and legislation restricting abortion access has increased dramatically.

The Guttmacher Institute documented that 92 new provisions restricting abortion were enacted in , almost three times the previous record of 34 provisions enacted six years earlier [ 31 ]. Despite the proliferation of proposed legislation that would restrict access to abortion, the public discourse concerning why women seek abortions has been limited.

As found in previous literature, the findings from this study demonstrate that women are motivated to seek abortion for a wide range of reasons that are driven by their unique circumstances and stage of life.

Women who carry an unwanted pregnancy to term because they are denied access to a wanted abortion may require financial assistance, support handling an abusive partner, access to mental health services prenatal care and, potentially, specialized health care for high risk pregnancies.

HG was responsible for reviewing the literature, assisting in the qualitative coding, and drafting and editing the manuscript. DGF conceptualized and led the overall Turnaway study design and assisted in drafting and editing the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

The authors thank Tracy Weitz for reviewing parts of the manuscript; Rana Barar and Sandy Stonesifer for study coordination and management; Janine Carpenter, Undine Darney, Ivette Gomez, Selena Phipps, Claire Schreiber and Danielle Sinkford for conducting interviews; Michaela Ferrari and Elisette Weiss for project support; Jay Fraser and John Neuhaus for statistical and database assistance and all the participating providers for their assistance with recruitment.

This study was supported by research and institutional grants from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and an anonymous foundation.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. BMC Womens Health. Published online Jul 5. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Corresponding author. M Antonia Biggs: ude. Received Dec 14; Accepted Jun This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Methods Data for this study were drawn from baseline quantitative and qualitative data from the Turnaway Study , an ongoing, five-year, longitudinal study evaluating the health and socioeconomic consequences of receiving or being denied an abortion in the US.

Conclusions Study findings demonstrate that the reasons women seek abortion are complex and interrelated, similar to those found in previous studies. Background While the topic of abortion has long been the subject of fierce public and policy debate in the United States, an understanding of why women seek abortion has been largely missing from the discussion [ 1 ].

Study design Data for this study were drawn from baseline quantitative and qualitative data from the Turnaway Study, an ongoing, five-year, longitudinal study evaluating the health and socioeconomic consequences of receiving or being denied an abortion in the US.

Recruitment Women seeking abortion care at 30 US facilities abortion clinics, other clinics and hospitals between January and December were recruited to participate in the study. Participants Overall, Measures The structured interview guide included questions on participant socio-demographic characteristics, experiences becoming pregnant, pregnancy planning, and the abortion decision-making process.

Pregnancy-related characteristics We also considered parity, and gestational age at recruitment 13 weeks or less, 14 to 19 weeks, and 20 weeks or more. Reasons for abortion All participants were asked two open-ended questions about their reasons for seeking an abortion.

Data analysis Qualitative analysis The analytic team was comprised of two of the study authors. Quantitative analysis Once all of the codes were finalized, the reasons for abortion were analyzed quantitatively using Stata Version Results Description of the sample Two women did not answer either question on reason for seeking an abortion, leaving a final sample of Open in a separate window.

Reasons for abortion Women gave a wide range of responses to explain why they had chosen abortion. Note: Respondents gave reasons under multiple themes and subthemes. Want a better life for the baby than she could provide Twelve percent of women gave reasons for choosing abortion related to their desire to give the child a better life than she could provide. Factors related to reasons for abortion Using mixed effects multivariate logistic regression analyses, we examined the social and demographic predictors of the predominant themes women gave for seeking an abortion Table 3.

Table 3 Multivariate mixed effects logistic analyses predicting reasons for abortion. Discussion The findings from this study demonstrate that the reasons women seek abortion are complex and interrelated. Conclusion As found in previous literature, the findings from this study demonstrate that women are motivated to seek abortion for a wide range of reasons that are driven by their unique circumstances and stage of life.