The use of contraception among abortion applicants.

PIP: Applicants for therapeutic abortion at an outpatient unit of a general hospital in the capital city of Newfoundland were interviewed, and the contraception related findings are presented. The total number of therapeutic abortions performed in 1977 in the province was 493, of which 416 (84%) were performed in Grace General Hospital, where the study was conducted. The 416 women ranged in age from 14-45 years. 72% were under age 24. 41% had achieved only elementary school education. 65% came from the capital city and from the surrounding areas, within a radius of 100 miles. The rest of the women had traveled up to 700 miles or more to procure the service. Of the total of 416, 10, or 2%, claimed that they had no knowledge that there are ways to prevent conception. The 2nd group of 170 women (41%) knew that contraceptive methods did exist but for various reasons had never used any method at any time in their lives. The 3rd group of 236 (57%) consisted of those who had used some form of contraception. This group was further divided: 181 women (44%) had used birth control methods within the last 6 months or earlier but not at the time of conception; the rest had been consistent contraceptors but the method had failed. Of the 10 women who claimed they had absolutely no knowledge of contraception, 6 were below age 17, 7 were unmarried, and 5 were Roman Catholics. Approximately 1/3 of the 170 women who knew of contraceptive methods but did not use them were under age 16 and would have required parental consent to receive contraceptive counseling and/or prescriptions. For approximately 2/3 of this group, birth control methods were available and accessible since they were above the age of 17 and could have sought contraceptive counseling. The reasons this group of women gave for not using contraceptives fell under 3 main headings. 1/3 attributed it to ignorance and/or carelessness. Another 1/3 consisted of those who had not planned on having sexual intercourse. The rest consisted mainly of young women whose parental attitude had deterred them from seeking help with birth control. The 181 women who had used some form of contraception within the last 6 months or earlier but not at the time of conception were mainly over age 17. More than half of them were unmarried. Less than 1/3 had elementary school education, and half had high school or more education. The complaint of side effects caused by the method was the most common reason for non-use among this group. In most instances the method complained about was oral contraception. More than half of the consistent users were married and almost 3/4 had high school or better education. The contraceptive that appears to have had the highest failure rate among the consistent users was the condom. Almost 1/3 of the women claimed that they had depended on the condom. The oral contraceptive, the IUD, and irreversible methods such as tubal ligation and vasectomy had a failure rate of 2% each.^ieng

Pregnancy in teenagers--a comparative study.

PIP: The epidemiological characteristics of 2 groups of girls who conceived before or during the age of 16 are presented. 1 group consisted of all girls who sought therapeutic abortion during the year 1976, while the other group completed their pregnancies during the same year. There were 53 girls who sought pregnancy termination while those who went to term numbered 416. A breakdown of the ages showed that the higher age groups tended to have a lower proportion of therapeutic abortions. Among those who completed the pregnancy, 25% were reported as married at the time of delivery. Urbanization influenced both the rate and outcome of pregnancy. Fewer pregnancies occurred in urban areas and a greater number of girls sought therapeutic abortion. The pregnancy rate was considerably higher in some of the religious denominations, but the religion itself did not appear to influence the decision to either continue or terminate a pregnancy.^ieng

Termination of pregnancy in teenagers.

This is a study of some epidemiological aspects of fifty-three unmarried girls, aged sixteen years and under, who were referred for therapeutic termination of pregnancy during the year 1976. Although the results showed that the overall abortion rate in Canada is much higher than in Newfoundland, the abortion rate in the 14-16 year age group is higher in the Province than in the rest of Canada. Secondly, the abortion rate for the fifteen year age group in this Province is higher than that for the sixteen year old girls, suggesting that more pregnancies in the older age group go to term. The rate of abortions among some religious denominations is significantly higher than in others. Urban living does not appear to produce an increase in abortion rates in these age groups. Interruption of schooling due to the occurrence of pregnancy is not a cause for concern in about half of this group. There is some evidence in support of the contention that precocious maturation is related to early pregnancy.