Determinants of first and second trimester induced abortion - results from a cross-sectional study taken place 7 years after abortion law revisions in ethiopia

Abstract

In 2005 Ethiopia took the important step to protect women's reproductive health by liberalizing theabortion law. As a result women were given access to safe pregnancy termination in first and second trimester. Thisstudy aims to describe socio-economic characteristics and contraceptive experience among women seeking abortionin Jimma, Ethiopia and to describe determinants of second trimester abortion.Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted October 2011 - April 2012 in Jimma Town, Ethiopia among womenhaving safely induced abortion and women having unsafely induced abortion. In all 808 safe abortion cases and 21unsafe abortion cases were included in the study. Of the 829 abortions, 729 were first trimester and 100 weresecond trimester abortions. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine risk factorsassociated with second trimester abortion. The associations are presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidentialintervals. Age stratified analyses of contraceptive experience among women with first and second trimesterabortions are also presented.Results: Socio-economic characteristics associated with increased ORs of second trimester abortion were: age < 19 years,being single, widowed or divorced, attending school, being unemployment, being nullipara or para 3+, and havinglow education. The contraceptive prevalence rate varied across age groups and was particularly low among young girlsand young women experiencing second trimester abortion where only 15% and 19% stated they had ever usedcontraception.Conclusion: Young age, poor education and the prospect of single parenthood were associated with second trimesterabortion. Young girls and young women were using contraception comparatively less often than older women. Toensure women full right to control their fertility in the setting studied, modern contraception should be madeavailable, accessible and affordable for all women, regardless of age.