Understanding the reasons behind pregnancy terminations and the link with method safety

Abstract

Studies allude to induced abortion as a contributor to Ghana's fertility decline, especially since contraceptive use levels have not proportionally increased, other proximate determinants do not fully exp la in the discrepancy. If induced abortions are a means through which Ghanaian women control their births, it behoves us to understand the reasons behind their pregnancy terminations and the link to the abortion methods they ultimately use. This paper uses data from the 2007 Ghana Maternal Health Survey and qualitative interviews conducted in 2008 with patients at Korle Bu and Tema Hospitals. Women who had ever terminated a pregnancy were purposively selected and interviewed at the two major hospitals. Additionally women who had aborted a pregnancy five years preceding the nationally representative survey were also administered questionnaires about their abortion experiences. The results showed that women underwent abortions for five reasons namely, financial constraints, and to space/limit births, .... Most women who underwent abortions for the latter did so using safe methods. The findings also suggested that women terminated pregnancies mainly to space/limit births and for financial and health reasons. However those who had abortions for health and non- readiness reasons were significantly more likely to use safe methods compared to those who lacked the finances to keep their pregnancies. The paper proposes that strategies to reduce unplanned pregnancies that result in pregnancy terminations must be intensified