Profile of abortion seekers in the tertiary center of northern hills with review of medical termination of pregnancy act in India

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the socio-demographic and obstetric profile of pregnant women, seeking medical termination of pregnancy in accordance with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act and the reasons for undergoing termination of pregnancy in the tertiary care center of the hilly region of Northern India and to further review the amendments in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 along with its future implications in legalizing abortions in India. Materials and Methods: A registry-based retrospective study was carried out among pregnant women, attending the gynecologic outpatient department for termination of pregnancy at the tertiary care teaching hospital and the referral center for Himalayan foothills in Northern India. The records of women, seeking termination of pregnancy during a 1-year period between October 2020 and September 2021, were reviewed and information on their demographic and obstetric profile, reason for undergoing termination of pregnancy, and acceptance of contraception, following termination of pregnancy was recorded in the data sheet. The information obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 20 (IBM, Chicago, USA) for descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 400 pregnant women underwent Medical Termination of Pregnancy between October 2020 and September 2021. 30.5 % (122/400) women between 26–30 years of age underwent termination of pregnancy, followed by 27.3 % women aged between 31–35 years. Social reasons for termination of pregnancy were more evident in women aged 26 years and above. 84.09 % pregnancies were terminated in the second trimester (>12 weeks) on eugenic ground, while 65.01 % pregnancies were terminated in the first trimester (6–12 weeks) on social grounds. Only 7.75 % (31/400) women opted for sterilization or family planning after MTP, out of which the majority opted for temporary methods of contraception. Conclusion: We conclude from the results of the present study that women in the peak reproductive age (26–30 years) are more likely to seek pregnancy termination and this group of women needs to be the focus of contraceptive counseling and family planning services. Timely ultrasound scans by an expert sonologist may be a step forward towards lowering the rates of late pregnancy termination. There is a need to educate women to avail and use contraceptive methods in an effective manner and to make them aware of utilizing sterilization services, once they complete their families to avoid unwanted pregnancies.