Factors influencing abortion decisions, delays, and experiences with abortion accompaniment in Mexico among women living outside Mexico City: results from a cross-sectional study

Figures & data

Figure 1. State of residence by group

Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics

	Total (n = 103) N (%)	FM Clinic (n = 60) N (%)	FM State (n = 43) N (%)
Age (years)
18–24	63 (61%)	37 (62%)	26 (61%)
25–29	19 (18%)	10 (17%)	9 (21%)
30–34	12 (12%)	8 (13%)	4 (9%)
35+	8 (8%)	4 (7%)	4 (9%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Have children
Yes	35 (34%)	23 (38%)	12 (28%)
No	67 (65%)	36 (60%)	31 (72%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Monthly income above the urban federal poverty level^a
Yes	70 (68%)	40 (67%)	30 (70%)
No	24 (23%)	15 (25%)	9 (21%)
Don’t know/missing	9 (9%)	5 (8%)	4 (9%)
Current student
Yes	58 (56%)	34 (57%)	24 (56%)
No	44 (43%)	25 (42%)	19 (44%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Currently working
Yes	75 (73%)	43 (72%)	32 (74%)
No	27 (26%)	16 (27%)	11 (26%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Education level
Completed some high school/technical school or less	14 (14%)	9 (15%)	5 (12%)
Completed high school or technical school	24 (23%)	16 (27%)	8 (19%)
Completed some tertiary education or above	61 (59%)	31 (52%)	30 (70%)
Missing	4 (4%)	4 (7%)	0 (0%)
Marital status
Single	74 (72%)	40 (67%)	34 (79%)
Married, engaged, or in a civil union	20 (19%)	14 (23%)	6 (14%)
Divorced, widowed, or seperated	8 (8%)	5 (8%)	3 (7%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Pregnancy happened in the context of a partnership
Yes	77 (75%)	46 (77%)	31 (72%)
No	25 (24%)	13 (22%)	12 (28%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Religious affiliation
None/Non-believer	39 (38%)	20 (33%)	19 (44%)
Catholic	49 (48%)	31 (52%)	18 (42%)
Evangelical or other Christian	8 (8%)	3 (5%)	5 (12%)
Other	4 (4%)	3 (5%)	1 (2%)
Missing	3 (3%)	3 (5%)	0 (0%)
Have had prior abortion
Yes	19 (18%)	12 (20%)	7 (16%)
No	83 (81%)	57 (78%)	36 (83%)
Missing	1 (1%)	1 (2%)	0 (0%)
Gestational age at time of recruitment (weeks)^b
< = 6	27 (26%)	9 (15%)	18 (42%)
7–10	65 (63%)	42 (70%)	23 (54%)
11–12	9 (9%)	9 (15%)	0 (0%)
Missing	2 (2%)	0 (0%)	2 (5%)

a. At the time of analysis, a monthly income of greater than 1473 pesos a month was considered above the federal poverty level for urban residents in Mexico.

b. Fondo MARIA provides information about both travelling and self-managing at home to callers 10 weeks of gestation or lower, and offers those over 10 weeks the option of being supported in travel only.

Table 2. Participants’ perceived difficulty accessing abortion in home state

	Total (n = 103)	FM Clinic (n = 60)	FM State (n = 43)
Very difficult	57 (55%)	41 (68%)	16 (37%)
Somewhat difficult	23 (22%)	11 (18%)	12 (28%)
More or less easy	18 (17%)	6 (10%)	12 (28%)
Very easy	2 (2%)	0 (0%)	2 (2%)
Missing	3 (3%)	2 (3%)	1 (2%)

Table 3. Participants’ reasons for selecting travel to CDMX or self-administration/staying in their home state

	FM Clinic (n = 60)	FM state (n = 43)
It seemed safer	35 (58%)	–
To access a legal abortion	8 (13%)	–
I did not have confidence in the medications*	8 (13%)	–
I did not know medications could be used	2 (3%)	–
Money/cost of the trip	–	14 (33%)
I did not have time to travel or miss days of work	–	10 (23%)
I preferred to have an abortion at home	–	8 (19%)
I was worried that someone would find out	1 (1%)	6 (14%)
Other	4 (7%)	2 (5%)
Missing	2 (3%)	3 (7%)

*Includes one participant who said “I was not confident about using the medications without medical supervision”. – Denotes that row option was not included in response options offered to the respective group.

Figure 2. Participant-reported factors that would reduce delays to care among participants who did not receive abortion care as early as they wanted to (n = 35).

Note: Participants could select more than one option, percentages may add to more than 100%

Table 4. Participant experiences with Fondo MARIA’s services

	FM Clinic (n = 60)	FM State (n = 43)	Total (n = 103)
Fondo MARIA’s services met or exceeded expectations	52 (87%)	38 (89%)	90 (87%)
Fondo MARIA provided information about all options in a clear way	56 (93%)	39 (91%)	95 (92%)
It was very or somewhat easy to contact Fondo MARIA	53 (88%)	41 (95%)	94 (91%)
Average quality rating of accompaniment support provided	9.7	9.9	9.8
Felt emotionally supported by Fondo MARIA	53 (88%)	–	–

Note: – Denotes that this question as not asked to FM State group.

Data availability statement

Due to our commitment to protect the confidentiality and anonymity of those requesting support from Fondo Maria, we cannot make the data used for this study available for download. We are happy to answer any inquiries related to the data used for the manuscript and provide additional information, where possible.