Abortion increased though abortion-related mortality decreased
Sunday, 21 October 2007
Marital abortion ratios have increased in some areas in the country though causes of maternal death, including abortion related-death, have decreased, reports UNB.
A report of ICDDR'B revealed this recently after collecting data from ICDDR,B surveillance in Abhoynagar Upazila of Jessore district, Matlab Upazila of Chandpur and Mirersarai Upazila of Chittagong district to explore abortion ratios and total abortion rates among married women from 1982 to 2004.
It said that while the abortion ratio among married women in Mirersarai has remained fairly constant since the mid-1990s, at just below 60 per 1,000 live births, the ratio in Abhoynagar has approximately doubled during the period from close to 40 per 1,000 live births to over 100 abortions against the same number.
In both the ICDDR,B and government service areas of Matlab, ratios among married women have also increased but in the government area, the increase has been fairly steady since the 1980s, whereas in the ICDDR,B area the increase occurred mainly after 1998.
Over time, ratios have been consistently higher in the government area.
On the other hand, the study said that during 1976-2005 in the ICDDR,B area substantial reductions took place in all causes of maternal deaths including abortion.
In the ICDDR,B area abortion related-deaths consistently decreased from 99 to 12 per 100,000 pregnancies between 1976 and 2005.
In the government area, abortion related deaths also decreased from a peak of 107 per 100,000 pregnancies in 1981-85 to 24 per same pregnancies in 2001-2005.
In 2001-2005 twice as many women died from abortion per 100,000 pregnancies in the government area as in the ICDDR,B area.
The trend is not consistent in the government area, where 17 percent of maternal deaths were attributable to abortion in 1976-1985, 22 percent in 1986-1995, and 15 percent in 1996-2005.
The most recent rates in both areas are comparable to rates from developing countries in Asia for 2000 (13 percent) and lower than earlier reported rates in Bangladesh.
The study stressed the need for providing all women with access to safe means to avoid unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion and also to ensure adequate treatment for women who have abortion complications.
A report of ICDDR'B revealed this recently after collecting data from ICDDR,B surveillance in Abhoynagar Upazila of Jessore district, Matlab Upazila of Chandpur and Mirersarai Upazila of Chittagong district to explore abortion ratios and total abortion rates among married women from 1982 to 2004.
It said that while the abortion ratio among married women in Mirersarai has remained fairly constant since the mid-1990s, at just below 60 per 1,000 live births, the ratio in Abhoynagar has approximately doubled during the period from close to 40 per 1,000 live births to over 100 abortions against the same number.
In both the ICDDR,B and government service areas of Matlab, ratios among married women have also increased but in the government area, the increase has been fairly steady since the 1980s, whereas in the ICDDR,B area the increase occurred mainly after 1998.
Over time, ratios have been consistently higher in the government area.
On the other hand, the study said that during 1976-2005 in the ICDDR,B area substantial reductions took place in all causes of maternal deaths including abortion.
In the ICDDR,B area abortion related-deaths consistently decreased from 99 to 12 per 100,000 pregnancies between 1976 and 2005.
In the government area, abortion related deaths also decreased from a peak of 107 per 100,000 pregnancies in 1981-85 to 24 per same pregnancies in 2001-2005.
In 2001-2005 twice as many women died from abortion per 100,000 pregnancies in the government area as in the ICDDR,B area.
The trend is not consistent in the government area, where 17 percent of maternal deaths were attributable to abortion in 1976-1985, 22 percent in 1986-1995, and 15 percent in 1996-2005.
The most recent rates in both areas are comparable to rates from developing countries in Asia for 2000 (13 percent) and lower than earlier reported rates in Bangladesh.
The study stressed the need for providing all women with access to safe means to avoid unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion and also to ensure adequate treatment for women who have abortion complications.