Multiple induced abortions – implications for counselling and contraceptive services from a multi-centre cross-sectional study in Sweden

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of the abortion-seeking women.

Characteristics (self-reported)	Total N = 623 n (%)	Previous induced abortions		P-value
		0-1 n = 420 n (%)	≥2 n = 161 n (%)
Age n = 618 (range 14-47 years)
Mean ± SD	29.9 ± 6.0	28.1 ± 6.8	30.8 ± 5.7	< .001^a
14–19	46 (7.4)	43 (10.2)	2 (1.2)
20–24	128 (20.7)	98 (23.3)	24 (14.9)
25–29	152 (24.6)	105 (25.0)	35 (21.7)
30–34	164 (26.5)	96 (22.8)	60 (37.3)
≥35	128 (20.7)	78 (18.6)	40 (24.8)
In a steady relationship n = 614
Yes	477 (77.7)	326 (77.6)	124 (77.0)	.764^b
No	137 (22.3)	91 (21.7)	37 (23.0)
Country of birth n = 613
Sweden	526 (85.8)	358 (85.2)	138 (85.7)	.945^b
Other Nordic countries	6 (1.0)	4 (-)	2 (-)
Outside the Nordic countries	81 (13.2)	54 (12.8)	20 (12.4)
Previous children n = 623
0	271 (43.5)	231 (55.0)	40 (24.8)	<.001^b
1	92 (14.8)	62 (14.8)	30 (18.6)
2	152 (24.4)	88 (21.0)	60 (37.3)
3/+	108 (17.3)	39 (9.3)	27 (16.8)
Had a previous induced abortion due to the Covid pandemic n = 527
Yes	19 (3.6)	7 (1.7)	10 (6.2)	.009^c
No	508 (96.4)	354 (84.3)	126 (78.3)
Educational level n = 616
Elementary school	75 (12.2)	45 (10.7)	27 (16.8)	.077^b
Upper secondary school	364 (59.1)	247 (58.8)	96 (60.0)
Post-secondary school or university	177 (28.7)	126 (30.0)	38 (23.6)
Occupation n = 618
Student	128 (20.7)	95 (22.6)	27 (16.8)	.112^c
Employed	398 (64.4)	271 (64.5)	103 (60.0)
Unemployed	39 (6.3)	21 (5.0)	15 (9.3)
Housewife/maternity leave/other	53 (7.0)	33 (7.8)	16 (9.9)
Poor economy (self-reported) n = 614
Yes	166 (27.0)	128 (30.5)	35 (21.7)	.039^c
No	448 (73.0)	289 (68.8)	125 (78.0)
Tobacco use n = 613
Smokes daily or sometimes	179 (29.2)	106 (25.2)	57 (35.4)	.044^b
Snuff use daily or sometimes	132 (21.5)	74 (17.6)	39 (24.2)	.022^b
Smokes and/or snuff use daily or sometimes	262 (42.7)	155 (36.9)	96 (60.0)	<.001^b
Wellbeing n = 623
Poor physical wellbeing before finding out about the pregnancy	72 (11.6)	38 (9.0)	13 (8.1)	.005^b
Poor mental wellbeing before finding out about the pregnancy	99 (15.9)	57 (13.6)	23 (14.3)	.023^b
Consent to sex at the time of conception n = 597
No	28 (4.7)	12 (2.8)	11 (6.8)	.003^b
Do not remember	14 (2.3)	7 (1.7)	3 (1.9)
Yes	555 (93)	392 (93.3)	135 (83.8)
Experience of violence the last year
Experience of physical violence during the previous 12 months, n = 579	20 (3.5)	11 (2.6)	7 (4.3)	.215^b .273^c
Experience of psychological violence during the previous 12 months, n = 589	46 (7.8)	24 (5.7)	17 (10.5)	.027^b .042^c
Experience of sexual violence during the previous 12 months, n = 584	22 (3.8)	15 (3.6)	5 (3.1)	.895^b 1.00^c
Experience of either physical, psychological and/or sexual violence during the previous 12 months, n = 594	53 (8.9)	32 (7.6)	21 (13.0)	.023^b .032^c

^aTwo sample t-test.

^bPearson’s χ2.

^cFisher exact two-sided test.

Table 2. Odds of having had multiple abortions (≥2), among the women aged 25–47 years (n = 398).

Independent variables	B	Sig.	OR	CI 95%
				Lower	Upper
Age: 30–34 Ref: 25–29	.41	.176	1.50	.83	2.73
Age: ≥35 Ref: 25–29	.42	.213	1.52	.78	2.94
Parity ≥1 Ref: 0	1.08	<.001	2.96	1.63	5.39
Elementary or upper secondary school Ref: Post-secondary school or university	.87	.001	2.40	1.40	4.09
Tobacco use (smoke and/or snuff). Ref: No	.91	<.001	2.50	1.54	4.07
Poor physical and/or mental wellbeing before pregnant Ref: Good	.24	.460	1.27	.66	2.44
Experience of physical, psychological and/or sexual violence in the last 12 months Ref: No	.86	.034	2.37	1.06	5.29

^aThe model summary; Cox and Snell’s R2= .164, Nagelkerke’s R2= .237, and Hosmer–Lemeshow χ2 = 6.313 (df = 8), p= .633.

Figure 1. The distribution of previous induced abortions among the abortion-seeking women (n = 581/623), presented in valid percentages.