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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on February 12, 2007
Human Reproduction 2007 22(5):1320-1326; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem012
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Contraceptive attitudes and contraceptive failure among women requesting induced abortion in Denmark

Vibeke Rasch1,9, L.B. Knudsen3, T. Gammeltoft2, J.T. Christensen4, M. Erenbjerg5, J.J.Platz Christensen6,7 and J.B. Sorensen8

1 Department of International Health, Institute of Public Health 2 Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark 3 Department of Sociology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hillerod Hospital, Hillerod, Denmark 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Næstved Hospital, Naestved, Denmark 6 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sonderborg Hospital, Sonderborg, Denmark 7 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, MAS University Hospital, Malmo, Sweden 8 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Odense University Hospital, Odense M, Denmark

9 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of International Health, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, DK 1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Tel: +45 353 27472; Fax: +45 353 27383; E-mail: v.rasch{at}pubhealth.ku.dk

BACKGROUND: To elucidate how contraceptive attitudes among Danish-born and immigrant women influence the request of induced abortion.

METHODS: A case–control study, the case group comprising 1095 Danish-born women and 233 immigrant women requesting abortion, in comparison with a control group of 1295 pregnant women intending to give birth. The analysis used hospital-based questionnaire interviews.

RESULTS: Lack of contraceptive knowledge and experience of contraceptive problems were associated with the choice of abortion. This association was most pronounced among immigrant women, where women lacking knowledge had a 6-fold increased odds ratio (OR) and women having experienced problems a 5-fold increased OR for requesting abortion. Further, in this group of women, a partner's negative attitude towards contraception was associated with an 8-fold increased OR for requesting abortion. Contraceptive failure was prevalent; 21% of the women who did not plan to become pregnant but intended to give birth had experienced contraceptive failure. The same applied, respectively, for 45% of the Danish-born women and 36% of immigrant women, who requested abortion. Women who had experienced contraceptive failure were significantly more likely to request abortion.

CONCLUSIONS: Immigrant women seem to have more difficulties in using contraception than Danish-born women. To address this problem, there is a need for culturally sensitive information campaigns targeting this heterogonous group of women.

Key words: contraception/Denmark/immigrant/induced abortion

Submitted on October 4, 2006; resubmitted on December 13, 2006; accepted on December 27, 2006.


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V. Rasch, T. Gammeltoft, L. B. Knudsen, C. Tobiassen, A. Ginzel, and L. Kempf
Induced abortion in Denmark: effect of socio-economic situation and country of birth
Eur J Public Health, April 1, 2008; 18(2): 144 - 149.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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