Pregnancy Termination in Matlab, Bangladesh: Knowledge, Attitudes and Decision-Making Processes

Abdur Razzaque, ICDDR,B
Julie DaVanzo, RAND Corporation
Mizanur Rahman, MEASURE Evaluation
Shahabuddin Ahmed, ICDDR,B

Thirty percent non-abortion pregnancies were unintended, but the women did not abort it mainly because of disagreement with the family members (3/4 cases). By contrast, over 90% of the aborted pregnancies were unwanted and most of the women (over 90%) received support from the family members to abort it. Those women who aborted the pregnancy were more knowledgeable about abortion procedures, less likely think that there was a risk of complications and also said less monetary cost of obtaining services for complication. Among women those who had abortion, 35% were using contraception before the conception, and 93% of them became pregnant during method use. By contrast, among women those who had a non-abortion pregnancy outcome, only 9.7% were using contraception before the conception, and 88% of them became pregnant during method use; both groups were mainly using temporary contraceptive methods.