Australia is facing a severe issue regarding pregnancy abortions. According to a recent study published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the researchers found out that one in four women that responded to the survey remained pregnant in the past ten years and three out of them were unplanned pregnancies. One in three unwanted pregnancies was aborted.
“Of 2571 eligible women, 2013 (78.3%) completed interviews. A total of 1390 women (69.1%) had been pregnant during the past ten years, including 362 unintended pregnancies (26%). Most unintended pregnancies (246, 68%) were reported as wanted; 94 (26%) were described as unwanted. Of unwanted pregnancies, 80% were terminated,” said the researchers, headed by Angela Taft, leading research at the Judith Lumley Centre at La Trobe University.
“Half the women with an unintended pregnancy gave birth (194, 53.6%), 110 (30.4%) had abortions, 55 (15.2%) miscarriages and three (0.8%) were still pregnant at the time of the survey. Of the women who had been pregnant but did not report an unintended pregnancy, 14.7% (151 of 1024) reported having had an abortion,” the study’s report added.
One in Three Unwanted Pregnancies Aborted, Across Australia
The situation Australia is experiencing regarding abortions looks grim, according to the recent study. As reported by the scientists, one in three women with unwanted pregnancy opt for abortion instead of carrying the pregnancy to term.
On the other hand, the situation seems to be worse among women who don’t use contraceptive methods.
“Most women who had unintended pregnancies (205 of 362, 56.6%) reported not having used contraception at the time. Of the 150 women (41.4%) who had an unintended pregnancy while using contraception, 96 (64%) had used oral contraceptives, and 40 (26.9%) had used condoms as their primary methods; nine (6%) were using long-acting reversible contraception,” the researchers added.
According to the new study, further research is required to estimate if sexual education could be used to influence the use of contraception methods positively. Also, “clinicians and services should focus their attention on women at highest risk of unintended pregnancy,” the scientists said.
