Abortion surveillance--United States, 1989.

Since 1980, the number of legal induced abortions reported to CDC has remained stable, varying each year by < 5%. In 1989, 1,396,658 abortions were reported--a 1.9% increase from 1988. The abortion ratio for 1989 was 346 legal induced abortions/1,000 live births, and the abortion rate was 24/1,000 women ages 15-44 years. The abortion ratio was highest for black women and women of other minority racial groups and for women < 15 years of age. Overall, women undergoing abortions tended to be young, white, and unmarried; to have had no previous live births; and to be having the procedure for the first time. Approximately half of all abortions were performed before the eighth week of gestation, and 87% were before the thirteenth week of gestation. Younger women tended to obtain abortions later in pregnancy than older women. This report also includes newly reported abortion-related deaths for 1986 and 1987, as well as an update on abortion-related deaths for the period 1978-1985. Ten deaths in 1986 and six deaths in 1987 were associated with legal induced abortion. The case-fatality rate in 1986 was 0.8 abortion-related deaths/100,000 legal induced abortions and 0.4/100,000 in 1987.     

Abortion surveillance, 1986-1987

Since 1980, the number of legal abortions reported to CDC has remained fairly stable, varying each year by less than 3%. In 1986, 1,328,112 abortions were reported; in 1987, that number increased by approximately 2% to 1,353,671. The abortion ratio for 1986 was 354 legally induced abortions per 1,000 live births; the ratio for 1987 was 356 per 1,000. The national abortion rate was 23/1,000 females ages 15-44 years for 1986 and 24/1,000 females ages 15-44 years in 1987. Abortion ratios were higher among women of black and other minority races and among women less than 15 years of age. Women undergoing legally induced abortions tended 1) to be young, white, and unmarried, 2) to have had no previous live births, and 3) to be having the procedure for the first time. In 1987, approximately half of all abortions were performed before the eighth week of gestation, and greater than 85% were performed during the first trimester of pregnancy (less than 13 weeks of gestation).     

Abortion surveillance: preliminary analysis--United States, 1997

For 1997, CDC compiled data about legal induced abortions from the 50 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia. The total number of legal induced abortions was available from all reporting areas; however, not all these areas collected information about the characteristics of women who obtained abortions. This report presents preliminary data for 1997; final 1997 abortion data will be published during summer 2000.     

Trends in use of medical abortion in the United States: reanalysis of surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001–2008

BackgroundWith changing patterns and increasing use of medical abortion in the United States, it is important to have accurate statistics on the use of this method regularly available. This study assesses the accuracy of medical abortion data reported annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and describes trends over time in the use of medical abortion relative to other methods.Study DesignThis analysis included data reported to CDC for 2001–2008. Year-specific analyses included all states that monitored medical abortion for a given year, while trend analyses were restricted to states that monitored medical abortion continuously from 2001 to 2008. Data quality and completeness were assessed by (a) examining abortions reported with an unspecified method type within the gestational age limit for medical abortion (med-eligible abortions) and (b) comparing the percentage of all abortions and med-eligible abortions reported to CDC as medical abortions with estimates based on published mifepristone sales data for the United States from 2001 to 2007.ResultsDuring 2001–2008, the percentage of med-eligible abortions reported to CDC with an unspecified method type remained low (1.0%–2.2%); CDC data and mifepristone sales estimates for 2001–2007 demonstrated strong agreement [all abortions: intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.983; med-eligible abortions: ICC=0.988]. During 2001–2008, the percentage of abortions reported to CDC as medical abortions increased (p<.001 for all abortions and for med-eligible abortions). Among states that reported medical abortions for 2008, 15% of all abortions and 23% of med-eligible abortions were reported as medical abortions.ConclusionCDC's Abortion Surveillance System provides an important annual data source that accurately describes the use of medical abortion relative to other methods in the United States.     

The analysis of trends in induced abortion in Japan—An increasing consequence among adolescents

Objectives  The purpose of this study was to examine trends in induced abortions in Japan. Methods  The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare compiled data on induced abortions, live births, and the population of women aged 15–49 years. These data were provided by 47 prefectures in Japan and were used to examine the number of induced abortions and various characteristics of women who received abortions from 1955 through 2001. We examined abortion numbers, abortion ratios (number of legal abortions per 1,000 live births), and abortion rates (number of legal abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–49). We were particularly interested in examining abortion trends among adolescents. These trends were also compared to those in the United States. Results  A total of 341,588 legal induced abortions were reported in Japan in 2001, representing a 2.5% increase from 1998 to 2001. From 1998 to 2001, the abortion ratio (292) increased by 5.4%; from 1996 through 2001, the abortion rate (11.8) increased by 8.3%. Women less than 20 years old contributed most to these increases. In 1999, the abortion ratio among Japanese adolescents was 5.7 times as high as the ratio among U.S. adolescents, while the abortion rate among U.S. adolescents was 1.8 times as high as the rate among Japanese adolescents. Conclusions  Recent increases in induced abortion among Japanese women may be related to several factors, including changes in sexual behavior among adolescents and a decline in their use of contraceptives. More appropriate educational efforts and interventions are needed to prevent unintended pregnancies.     

Abortion in the United States: incidence and access to services, 2005

CONTEXT: Accurate information about abortion incidence and services is necessary to monitor levels of unwanted pregnancy and women's ability to access abortion services. METHODS: All known abortion providers in the United States were contacted for information about abortion services in 2004 and 2005. This information, along with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, was used to examine national and state trends in numbers of abortions and abortion rates, proportions of counties and metropolitan areas without an abortion provider, and accessibility of abortion services. RESULTS: An estimated 1.2 million abortions were performed in the United States in 2005, 8% fewer than in 2000. The abortion rate in 2005 was 19.4 per 1,000 women aged 15-44; this rate represents a 9% decline from 2000. There were 1,787 abortion providers in 2005, only 2% fewer than in 2000. Some 87% of U.S. counties, containing 35% of women aged 15-44, did not have an abortion provider in 2005. Early medication abortion, offered by an estimated 57% of known providers, accounted for 13% of abortions (and for 22% of abortions before nine weeks' gestation). The average amount paid for an abortion at 10 weeks was $413-after adjustment for inflation, $11 less than in 2001. CONCLUSION: The numbers of abortions and the abortion rate continued their long-term decline through 2005. Reasons for this trend are unknown but may include improved access to and use of contraceptives or decreased access to abortion services.     

Abortion surveillance, United States, 1984-1985

Since 1983, the number of legal abortions reported to CDC increased by 5% to 1,333,521 in 1984; in 1985, that number decreased by less than 1% to 1,328,570. The national abortion rate was the same for both years-24 per 1,000 females ages 15-44 years. The abortion ratio for 1984 was 364 legally induced abortions per 1,000 live births; the ratio for 1985 was 354 per 1,000. Abortion ratios were higher among women of black and other minority races and among women younger than 15 years of age. Women undergoing legally induced abortions tended 1) to be young, white, and unmarried, 2) to have had no previous live births, and 3) to be having the procedure for the first time. Curettage was the procedure used in 96% of the reported cases. Eleven deaths were associated with legally induced abortions in 1984, and six in 1985. The case-fatality rate in 1985 was 0.5 deaths per 100,000 legally induced abortions, down from the 0.8 per 100,000 reported in 1983 and 1984. Overall, since 1980, the numbers and rates of abortion have had only slight year-to-year fluctuations. The steady increase in the percentage of repeat abortions since 1972 reflects the ongoing availability of legal abortions. Since the beginning of CDC's abortion mortality surveillance, the number of deaths related to legal abortions has decreased 75%, from 24 deaths in 1972 to six deaths in 1985.     

Underreporting of induced and spontaneous abortion in the United States: an analysis of the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth

Underreporting of induced abortions in surveys is widespread, both in countries where the procedure is illegal or highly restricted and in those where it is legal. In this study, we find that fewer than one half of induced abortions performed in the United States in 1997-2001 (47 percent) were reported by women during face-to-face interviews in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Hispanic and black women and those with low income were among the least likely to report their experience of abortion. Women were also less likely to report abortions that occurred when they were in their 20s. Second-trimester abortions were more likely to be reported than first-trimester terminations. The levels of recent spontaneous abortion reported in the 2002 NSFG were consistent with the accumulated body of clinical research, although substantially more lifetime pregnancy losses were reported on self-administered surveys than in face-to-face interviews. Subsequent research should explore strategies to improve information collected on abortion, and, in the interim, research involving pregnancy outcomes should be adjusted for unreported induced abortions.     

COVID-19 and abortion in the Ohio River Valley: A case study of Kentucky,Ohio, and West Virginia

Introduction

During early stages of COVID-19 in the United States, government representatives in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia restricted or threatened to restrict abortion care under elective surgery bans. We examined how abortion utilization changed in these states.

Methodology

We examined COVID-19 abortion-related state policies implemented in March and April 2020 using publicly available sources. We analyzed data on abortions by method and gestation and experiences of facility staff, using a survey of 14 facilities. We assessed abortions that took place in February–June 2020 and February–June 2021.

Results

In February–June 2020 the monthly average abortion count was 1916; 863 (45%) were medication abortions and 229 (12%) were ≥14 weeks gestation. Of 1959 abortions performed across all three states in April 2020, 1319 (67%) were medication abortions and 231 (12%) were ≥14 weeks gestation. The shift toward medication abortion that took place in April 2020 was not observed in April 2021. Although the total abortion count in the three-state region remained steady, West Virginia had the greatest decline in total abortions, Ohio experienced a shift from instrumentation to medication abortions, and Kentucky saw little change. Staff reported increased stress from concerns over health and safety and increased scrutiny by the state and anti-abortion protesters.

Discussion

Although abortion provision continued in this region, policy changes restricting abortion in Ohio and West Virginia resulted in a decrease in first trimester instrumentation abortions, an overall shift toward medication abortion care, and an increase in stress among facility staff during the early phase of COVID-19.     

The accessibility of abortion services in the United States, 2001

CONTEXT: A woman's ability to obtain an abortion is affected both by the availability of a provider and by accessrelated factors such as cost, convenience, gestational limits and the provision of early medical abortion services.
METHODS: In 2001-2002, The Alan Guttmacher Institute surveyed all known abortion providers in the United States, collecting information on their delivery of abortion services and on the number of abortions performed.
RESULTS: A minority of abortion providers offer services before five weeks from the last menstrual period (37%) or after 20 weeks (24% or fewer), but the proportions have increased since 1993. Providers estimate that one-quarter of women having abortions in nonhospital facilities travel 50 miles or more for services, and that 7% are initially unsure of their abortion decision. The majority of providers (59%) say that these clients usually receive abortions during a single visit. An average self-paying client was charged $372 for a surgical abortion at 10 weeks in 2001, up from $319 in 1997; only 26% of clients receive services billed directly to public or private insurance. Early medical abortions are becoming increasingly available but are more expensive than surgical abortions. More than half (56%) of providers experienced antiabortion harassment in 2000, but types of harassment other than picketing have declined since 1996.
CONCLUSIONS: Abortion at very early and late gestations and early medical abortion are more available than before, but charges have increased and antiabortion picketing remains at high levels. Thus, many women still face substantial barriers to obtaining an abortion.     

Abortion need and services in the United States, 1974-1975.

More than one million legal abortions were performed in the United States last year--but one-half to three-quarters of a million women in need of abortion services were still unable to obtain them. Ninety percent of all abortions are now performed in the woman's home state, but services are still highly concentrated within states--typically in one or two metropolitan centers where most services are provided by nonhospital clinics. Only one-fourth of hospitals-and fewer than one-fifth of public hospitals-provide any abortion services. Many poor, rural and teenage women who can least afford to travel to obtain legal abortions will continue to be denied access to the services they want and need.     

Egon R. Diczfalusy,the discovery of the fetoplacental unit and much more

BackgroundLittle is known about the characteristics of second-trimester abortion patients.Study DesignData come from a national sample of 9493 women obtaining abortions in 2008. Chi-square statistics and logistic regression were used to examine demographic characteristics of women having abortions at 13 or more weeks since last menstrual period (LMP) and women having abortions at 13–15 weeks LMP compared to 16+ weeks LMP.ResultsIn 2008, 10.3% of abortions in the United States were 13 weeks LMP or later, including 4.0% at 16+ weeks. Groups most likely to have abortions at 13 weeks or later included black women, women with less education, those using health insurance to pay for the procedure and those who had experienced three or more disruptive events in the last year. Groups more likely to have an abortion at 16 weeks or later included black women, higher income women and those paying with health insurance.ConclusionsBlack women and those with less education would most benefit from increased availability of first-trimester abortion services.     

Estimating the probability of spontaneous abortion in the presence of induced abortion and vice versa.

An integrated approach to estimate the total number of pregnancies that begin in a population during one calendar year and the probability of spontaneous abortion is described. This includes an indirect estimate of the number of pregnancies that result in spontaneous abortions. The method simultaneously takes into account the proportion of induced abortions that are censored by spontaneous abortions and vice versa in order to estimate the true annual number of spontaneous and induced abortions for a population. It also estimates the proportion of pregnancies that women intended to allow to continue to a live birth. The proposed indirect approach derives adjustment factors to make indirect estimates by combining vital statistics information on gestational age at induced abortion (from the 12 States that report to the National Center for Health Statistics) with a life table of spontaneous abortion probabilities. The adjustment factors are applied to data on induced abortions from the Alan Guttmacher Institute Abortion Provider Survey and data on births from U.S. vital statistics. For the United States in 1980 the probability of a spontaneous abortion is 19 percent, given the presence of induced abortion. Once the effects of spontaneous abortion are discounted, women in 1980 intended to allow 73 percent of their pregnancies to proceed to a live birth. One medical benefit to a population practicing induced abortion is that induced abortions avert some spontaneous abortions, leading to a lower mean gestational duration at the time of spontaneous abortion.     

Epidemiology of abortion

This brief summary presents information on the epidemiology of abortion requested by IPPF. In 1975, 8% of the world's population lived in areas where the law prohibits abortion completely, and 27% lived in areas where abortions are severely restricted. Over 2 years, 40,000 hospitalizations for abortion complications were reported in such countries, with 168 deaths. 21% of women hospitalized for a diagnosis related to abortion died. In Latin America, hospitalization and death because of illegal abortion led to epidemiological studies. In Chile, surveys indicate that 1/4 women has had an abortion. Colombia data state that 10 women die/week from abortion complications. Bangladesh identified 31 abortion deaths. When related to live births occurring in the area from which the deaths were reported, the abortion mortality ratio was 19/1000,000 live births. Data from Romania showed that before 1966, when abortion was legal, there were fewer than 100 reported deaths. After 1966, when abortion was restricted, crude birth rate increased from 15-40/1000 total population. During the following 4 years, the birth rate dropped until it was below 25, but concomitant deaths due to abortion increased. In 1965, 64 abortion-related deaths occurred, whereas by 1971, abortion-related deaths increased to 364. In North America abortion deaths and number of illegal abortions decreased dramatically after 1973, when abortion became legal in the U.S. In 1972, illegal abortions led to the deaths of 41 women, but in 1974 only 5 such deaths occurred. If women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies all underwent abortion within the 1st 8 weeks of pregnancy, 90% of the deaths due to legal abortion could be prevented.     

Mexican Women Seeking Safe Abortion Services in San Diego,California

Except for in Mexico City, abortion is legally restricted throughout Mexico, and unsafe abortion is prevalent. We surveyed 1,516 women seeking abortions in San Diego, California. Of these, 87 women (5.7%) self-identified as Mexican residents. We performed in-depth interviews with 17 of these women about their experiences seeking abortions in California. The Mexican women interviewed were generally well-educated and lived near the U.S.–Mexican border; most sought care in the United States due to mistrust of services in Mexico, and the desire to access mifepristone, a drug registered in the United States for early medical abortion. Several reported difficulties obtaining health care in Mexico or reentering the United States when they had postabortion complications. Several areas for improvement were identified, including outreach to clinics in Mexico.     

Abortion incidence and access to services in the United States, 2008

CONTEXT: The incidence of abortion has declined nearly every year between 1990 and 2005, but this trend may be ending, or at least leveling off. Access to abortion services is a critical issue, particularly since the number of abortion providers has been falling for the last three decades. METHODS: In 2009 and 2010, all facilities known or expected to have provided abortion services in 2007 and 2008 were contacted, including hospitals, clinics and physicians’ offices. Data on the number of abortions performed were collected and combined with population data to estimate national and state‐level abortion rates. Abortion incidence, provision of early medication abortion, gestational limits, charges and antiabortion harassment were assessed by provider type and abortion caseload. RESULTS: In 2008, an estimated 1.21 million abortions were performed in the United States. The abortion rate increased 1% between 2005 and 2008, from 19.4 to 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44; the total number of abortion providers was virtually unchanged. Small changes in national abortion incidence and number of providers masked substantial changes in some states. Accessibility of services changed little: In both years, 35% of women of reproductive age lived in the 87% of counties that lacked a provider. Fifty‐seven percent of nonhospital providers experienced antiabortion harassment in 2008; levels of harassment were particularly high in the Midwest (85%) and the South (75%). CONCLUSIONS: The long‐term decline in abortion incidence has stalled. Higher levels of harassment in some regions suggest the need to enact and enforce laws that prohibit the more intrusive forms of harassment.     

Legal abortion in Italy: 1980-1981

In 1980 and 1981, there were 446,430 legal abortions performed in Italy. There were about 345 legal abortions per 1,000 live births in 1980 and 363 in 1981. About 1.6 percent of women aged 15-49 obtained abortions in both years. An analysis of the characteristics of Italian women who obtained abortions indicates that most were married (about 70 percent), aged 18-36 (74 percent), had had less than a high school education (74 percent) and had had at least one previous live birth (70-75 percent). In 1981, 88 percent of abortions were obtained in public hospitals; 58 percent were carried out at eight or fewer weeks of gestation; and 78 percent were performed under general anesthesia. Only 20 percent were performed without an overnight stay in the hospital; and over 40 percent of women were hospitalized for two days or longer. Infection after the abortion was reported in only 0.03 percent of cases in 1981, and hemorrhage was reported in only 0.27 percent. In 1981, between 43 percent and 84 percent of gynecologists (depending on the region of the country) declined to perform abortions on grounds of conscience.     

Abortion in Hawaii

Abortion experience in Hawaii, which was the first state to legalize induce abortion (in March 1970), at the request of the patient, is reviewed after its first year in terms of the number of abortions performed, the demographic and social characteristics of women seeking abortion, implementation of the law, and medical and legal complications. 3643 abortions were performed in 15 hospitals during the first year of legalized abortion. The ratio of abortions to live births was 1:45. Of the patients, 42.9% had been born and lived in Hawaii, 19.8% had lived in the state for less than 1 year, and the 90-day residency requirement was unfulfilled by 13.0%. Comparisons of women seeking abortions in Hawaii are similar to the statistics for the U.S. as a whole as reported by the Joint Program for the Study of Abortion. 20% were teenagers, 51% had no prior pregnancies, and 54% had never been married although 71% indicated involvement in a continuing relationship. Ethnic distribution showed 47% Caucasians, 21% Japanese, 10% Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian, 8.4% Filipino and 5.0% Chinese. Marital status by ethnic origin at the time of conception suggested that Filipin o women are more likely to use abortion to limit family size (69% were married) than the others. The abortion patients were considerably better educated than the state's population of women of childbearing age although 66.5% of the women reported lack of contraceptive use as the reason for having to seek abortion to terminate their pregnancies. This figure suggests a group of women in need of contraceptive information and services. Most frequent complications were cervical laceration (22.5% of all complications), hemorrhage (19.5%), and infection (16%). Hawaii's law stipulates that abortion must be performed in hospitals by licensed physicians prior to viability of the fetus (undefined but generally regarded as after the twentieth week of gestation). Women under 18 experienced the most frequent frustration in delay, largely because of the required parental consent. Legal and financial barriers appeared to be the greatest cause of delays with most other patients. Average abortion costs were about $350, and 57.5% of the abortions were paid for by personal funds or loans obtained by the patients. Recommendations based on the year's experience suggest greater assistance to the patient through state and private agencies in covering abortion costs either through subsidies or low-interest loans with minim al delay. Improved procedures to provide lowest cost service while maintaining standards of good health and increased efforts in disseminating information on family planning, contraception and sex education are also necessary.     

Ectopic pregnancy and prior induced abortion

As part of the Women's Health Study, a case-control study conducted in nine cities in the United States, women hospitalized with an ectopic pregnancy and women hospitalized with non-gynecologic, medical or surgical diagnoses were interviewed concerning past reproductive history. There were 462 women meeting eligibility criteria in the ectopic pregnancy case group and 2326 women meeting the criteria for the control group. After adjustment for a number of possible confounders, the relative risk of ectopic pregnancy for women with a history of one induced abortion was 1.0 (95% confidence limits: 0.5 to 1.8) and was 0.9 (95% confidence limits: 0.8 to 1.1) for women with a history of two or more prior induced abortions. These results suggest that prior induced abortion does not significantly increase the risk of subsequent ectopic pregnancy.