Factors Related with Induced Abortion among Primigravid Women in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Abstract

A case-control study was conducted between July and August 2001 in Ho Chi Minh City to investigate factors associated with having induced abortions among primigravid women aged 16 to 38 years. Interviews were conducted with 87 women undergoing abortion (cases) and 81 pregnant women coming for antenatal care (controls). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that older age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.84) and being married (OR = 0.05) decreased the risk of getting unintended pregnancy leading to abortion. Risk factors of obtaining an abortion were not being exposed to family planning promotion on television (OR = 2.28) and not knowing the adverse effects of abortion (OR = 10.26). Descriptive analysis of contraceptive behavior showed that 41% of cases had never used contraceptives and the reason for non-usage was lack of knowledge of any type of contraceptives in 43% of the cases. Additionally, only 24% of cases had discussed about family planning with their partners. Effective contraceptive methods should be promoted among young population, both females and males, and they need to be informed of the consequences of abortion. Television programs might be an effective mode of providing the information.

Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Reproductive Tract Infections among Pregnant Women in Ten Communes in Nghe An Province, Vietnam

“…A woman who was infected with hepatitis B was given a referral Reproductive Tract Infection in Vietnam among women to be high and they are concerned about their spread due to widely practiced induced abortions and intrauterine device insertion. 2,3,4 Likewise, a report from one Vietnamese province stated that women believed RTI is one of their common morbidities; and they perceived dirty water and bad personal hygiene to be the causes for these infections. 5 Despite people's concerns, accurate epidemiologic data on RTI are scarce and existing information yields a widely varying RTI prevalence that ranges from 20% to 70%.…”

Is pregnancy termination being used as a family planning method in the Free State?

“…9 Contrary to our results and those from Sweden, it was found that only 24% of the participants in a Vietnamese study had discussed family planning with their partners. 10 One-fifth of the participants had received a previous TOP. A Swedish study reported that 53% of participants had received one or more legal abortions, 9 while Rotondi et al found that 24% of Italian women reported a previous induced abortion.…”

Counseling About Contraception Among Repeated Aborters in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

“…They also wanted to know what was involved in the abortion procedure. Another group of our research project investigated characteristics of primigravid women undergoing an abortion and found that not knowing the adverse effects of abortion and considering abortion as a family planning method were factors associated with experiencing abortion (Nguyen et al, 2002). As women themselves demanded, provision of accurate and precise information about abortion may prevent women from undergoing the procedure.…”

“…Another possibility is contraceptive counseling in a group at workplaces, having men and women sit together, as suggested by one of the interviewees. Moreover, television is one of the major sources of family planning information dissemination in Vietnam (Nguyen et al, 2002), so family planning television programs targeting men could be effective.…”