Study on request for termination of pregnancy in a general practice

Abstract

The objective of the study were to understand the determinates of women's choice of seeking abortions to find the clues for minimizing them and thereby reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.Awareness, ever-use and current use of contraceptive bu the abortion group showed no difference from the national figures.What was obvious was the higher use of traditional methodes in the abortion group.Two third of the abortion seekers had used contraceptive before the current pregnancy and could be considered as contraceptive failures.Reason given by women who sought abortion fell into the following broad catergories,economic (68.7 per cent),Socio-cultural (16.7 per cent), medical (4.3 per cent), obstetric (2.3 per cent),socio economic (1.0 per cent) and miscellaneous (7.0 per cent).