Utilization of Second-Trimester Spontaneous and Induced Abortion Services in Public Hospitals in Mexico, 2007-2015

Lily Alexander , University of Washington, Seattle
Evelyn Fuentes-Rivera
Biani Saavedra, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
Raffaela Schiavon, Ipas
Noe Maldonado Rueda, Harvard School of Public Health
Blair G. Darney, Oregon Health & Science University

Data on utilization of in-facility second-trimester abortion services are sparse. We used 2007-2015 data from Mexico’s Automated Hospital Discharge System (SAEH) to provide some evidence about the utilization of second-trimester spontaneous, induced, and post-abortion services in public hospitals across Mexico. We describe utilization and identify woman and state-level factors associated with utilization using regression. We identified 145,956 second-trimester abortions from 2007 to 2015, or 13.4% of total documented hospitalizations for abortion over the time period. The annual utilization rate of second-trimester abortion remained constant, fluctuating between 0.5 to 0.6 per 1,000 women ages 15-44. Young, marginalized women were more likely to seek second (versus first) trimester abortion services and living in a state with a health or fetal anomaly exception was not associated with higher utilization. These data demonstrate that there is a need for increased access to safe second-trimester abortion services through implementation of state-based legal exceptions.

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 Presented in Session 1. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior, & Reproductive Health 1