Factors Associated with Unintended Pregnancy among Pregnant Women Receiving Abortion Services at a Hospital in the Southern Region

Abstract

This retrospective analytic study aimed to examine factors associated with unintended pregnancy among pregnant women receiving pregnancy termination services at a hospital in southern Thailand. The study population consisted of women who terminated their pregnancies at the hospital between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024. The sample size was calculated using Schlesselman’s formula, a matched case-control with a 1:1 ratio. Participants were divided into two groups: women who terminated their pregnancies and women with intended pregnancies, with 152 participants in each group. The research instrument utilized data from medical records. The quality of the research instrument was assessed by three experts, yielding an Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) index of 1.00 for all items. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Research results indicated that the following variables were positive predictors of pregnancy termination: insufficient income, employment in the private sector, student status, and a history of prior contraceptive use. Furthermore, having three or more pregnancies and experiencing occasional family disputes also increased the termination risk. In contrast, a reduced likelihood was observed among participants with more than two children and those who sought antenatal care late (> 12 weeks of gestation).

These findings indicate that pregnancy termination was driven by insufficient income, student status, number of pregnancies, and family relationships. Therefore, the prevention of unintended pregnancy requires collaboration from the relevant agencies to provide knowledge and the related laws to ensure problem-solving effectively.