Abstract
Objective: To examine the experiences of women seeking more than one termination of pregnancy (TOP) within 2 years. Design: Mixed methods study. Setting: Six TOP services across Scotland. Sample: Women presenting for TOP between July and December 2015. Methods: Descriptive and inferential analysis of quantitative survey data, thematic analysis of qualitative interview data and integrative analysis. In quantitative analysis, multinomial logistic regression was used to compare three groups: previous TOP within 2 years, previous TOP beyond 2 years and no previous TOP. Main outcome measures: Characteristics and experiences of women seeking TOP. Results: Of 1662 questionnaire respondents, 14.6% (n = 242) and 19.8% (n = 329) reported previous TOP within and beyond 2 years, respectively. The previous TOP within 2 years group was significantly less likely to own their accommodation than the no previous TOP group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.34, 95% CI: 0.18-0.62) and previous TOP beyond 2 years group (aOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.23-0.85); and more likely to report inconsistent (aOR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.04-2.57; aOR: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.16-3.28) and consistent (aOR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.39-3.26; aOR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.07-2.76) contraceptive use than the no previous TOP and previous TOP within 2 years groups, respectively. Twenty-three women from the previous TOP within 2 years group were interviewed. Qualitative and integrative analyses highlight issues relating to contraceptive challenges, intimate partner violence, life aspirations and socio-economic disadvantage. Conclusions: Women undergoing more than one TOP within 2 years may experience particular challenges and vulnerabilities. Service provision should recognise this and move away from stigmatising discourses of 'repeat abortion'.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1983-1992 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology |
| Volume | 124 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| Early online date | 20 Oct 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Nov 2017 |
Keywords
- Abortion stigma
- Health services
- Intimate partner violence
- Mixed methods
- Repeat abortion
- Termination of pregnancy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Access to Document
- Final Published Version
© 2017 The Authors BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.