Contraception choices of women undergoing abortion procedures for fetal grounds or surgical treatment of pregnancy loss should be compared with those undergoing abortion procedures for other reasons.
From December 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018, researchers performed cross-sectional research at the University of California, Irvine, with participants ranging in gestational age from 24 to 0/7 weeks. They extracted data from electronic medical records and evaluated it with descriptive statistics, χ2, Fisher exact tests, and a multivariate logistic regression model for the primary and secondary outcomes.
Those with fetal indication were less likely to select contraception than those with other indications (68/134, 50.7% vs 142/158, 89.9%, P<.001), and those with fetal indication were less likely to choose long-acting reversible contraception among those who did choose contraception (LARC) (19/68, 27.9% vs 94/142, 66.2%, P<.001). In a multivariate analysis that took into account age, gestational age in weeks, race, parity, surgery type, and comorbidities (among those with a fetal indication for choosing any contraception: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.11, 95% CI 0.05–0.23; choosing LARC: aOR 0.17, 95% CI 0.07–0.39), the differences remained significant. Only half of those seeking abortion for fetal reasons or surgical treatment of pregnancy loss were interested in contraception.
