Over the past 20 years, the proportion of teenagers in England and Wales having an abortion as a result of a subsequent pregnancy increased by 33% (from .172 in 1992 to .229 in 2013). Most of this increase occurred before 2004, and the proportion now appears to have stabilized. In 2013, 22.9% of the young women aged <20 years who underwent an abortion had had at least one previous pregnancy (either a birth or an abortion). Only a minority (<5% of young women who obtained an abortion) had had more than one previous pregnancy.
The findings show that nearly one in four teenagers presenting for an abortion have already been in contact with health services for a previous birth or abortion. Greater policy emphasis must be placed on the accurate identification of the proportion of teenage pregnancies that occur as a result of a subsequent pregnancy and developing more effective “secondary prevention” interventions to help the first-time pregnant and parenting teenagers manage their future reproductive lives and prevent further unplanned pregnancies.
Read more at: http://ht.ly/R4ddV HT @JohnsHopkinsSPH
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