Induced abortion is associated with high morbidity and mortality in India. The use of regular contraception with EC as a backup can reduce the incidence of induced abortion. The study aimed to assess women’s knowledge, practice, preference, and acceptance of different contraceptive methods with particular reference to the causes of induced abortion and their willingness to use hormonal EC.
A total of 623 women and three men seeking contraceptive advice and termination of pregnancy were interviewed. The primary outcome measures were knowledge of different contraceptive methods, including EC and unintended pregnancy reasons.
More than 99% of the respondents knew about most modern contraception methods, whereas only 37 of the respondents knew about EC, and none of them had ever used it. Contraceptive method failure led to unintended pregnancy in 39.1% of abortion seekers. Correct use of EC could have prevented nearly 65.5% of induced abortions due to contraceptive method failure and 25.6% of all induced abortions.
The study concluded that more efforts are required to generate awareness about the safety, efficacy, and availability of EC, regular use of effective contraception, and the health hazards of induced abortion.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/31/4/294
