Associations of the implementation of the three-child policy with changes in contraceptive methods among women who underwent induced abortion: a cross-sectional study of Wuhan, a megacity in central China.

Background: Induced abortion, as a legal medical practice in China, has an enormous negative impact on women's sexual and reproductive health. After the implementation of the three-child policy, guiding women to choose appropriate contraceptive measures to protect their fertility is the focus of China's family planning. But little is known about the impact of the family planning policy on women's contraceptive behaviour.

Methods: We collected 7022 cases who underwent abortion between July 2020 and June 2022 in Wuhan. Based on the time of implementation of the policy, the study population was divided into two groups, namely, the pre-policy group (before July 2021, Group 1) and the post-policy group (after July 2021, Group 2). Logistic regression was used to analyse the effect of the policy on women's choice of different contraceptive methods for abortion.

Results: There were a total of 3487 cases in Group 1, accounting for 49.65%, and 3535 cases in Group 2, accounting for 50.34%. The proportion of women choosing efficient contraceptive methods after the Three-Child Policy decreased compared with before. A correlation was observed between the implementation of the Three-Child Policy and whether to choose efficient contraceptive methods after abortion (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The study has found that after the Three-Child Policy, women opting for induced abortion tend to prefer less effective contraceptive methods, particularly condoms. There is a marked shift towards more effective contraception methods both before and after the implementation of the Three-Child Policy.