Self-reporting of induced abortion by women attending prenatal clinics in urban Nigeria

Objective: To determine the proportion of all clinically confirmed pregnancies that end as induced abortion in a cohort of pregnant women in Nigeria. Methods: A total of 490 women who attended prenatal clinics at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital were interviewed with the preceding birth technique (PBT) on the outcomes of their previous pregnancies, including abortions. Results: Of the 490 women, 384 women (78.4%) reported previous abortions. A total of 1 883 previous pregnancies were reported by the women, of which 914 ended in abortion, 545 in live births, and 421 in stillbirths, with 3 unclassified. The total abortion ratio was 914/1842 (49.6%), when 41 women who reported no previous pregnancies were excluded. Of the 914 abortions, 751 (82.25) were induced abortions, 146 (16.0%) were spontaneous abortions, 9 (0.98%) were missed abortions, and 8 were unclassified. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that women aged 25-29 years were 4 times more likely to report induced abortion compared with older women. Conclusion: Induced abortion was found to be highly prevalent in this region of Nigeria, according to self-reports of women who were asked questions on abortion in the context of medical care. (C) 2010 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.