PROJECT
Estimating the Incidence of Induced Abortion in Mexico

In Mexico, 533,000 abortions were estimated to have occurred in 1992, with an annual abortion rate of 23 per 1,000 women. This estimate, part of a study carried out in six Latin American countries by the Guttmacher Institute and local partners, remains the most recent available national estimate. Substantial demographic changes have occurred in the past decade—declines in fertility and increases in contraceptive use—and it is important to know whether the role of abortion has changed. Existing evidence indicates that over-the-counter access to misoprostol, a drug with abortifacient effects, has increased in recent years. It is also important to have current information on abortion morbidity because of its relevance to women's health.

The Population Council, El Colegio de México, and the Guttmacher Institute have worked on issues of reproductive health for decades and have extensive experience in conducting abortion-related research. These three institutions are collaborating to estimate the incidence of abortion at the national and state levels; investigate the level of hospitalization due to induced abortion; and provide up-to-date information on the conditions of unsafe abortion. The investigation will gather all available official statistics on the number of women treated for abortion complications in hospitals. In addition, researchers will conduct two key informant surveys—of health professionals and pharmacists—in order to obtain a more complete picture of the conditions of abortion provision. The surveys will be conducted in four states and Mexico City, chosen to represent the major regional variations in reproductive behaviors across the country: the north (Nuevo León and Baja California), the center (Guanajuato), the south (Chiapas), and Mexico City. These four major regions, identified for this study, vary in their stage of transition to lower fertility and adoption of family planning, indicators that also are associated to diverse levels of regional development. Data processing and data analysis will then be carried out, applying an estimation methodology previously used by the Guttmacher Institute, to estimate the incidence of abortion in Mexico.

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Location

Mexico

Duration

July 2006–December 2007

Population Council researchers

Karla Berdichevsky, Claudia Diaz, Sandra Garcia, Eileen Yam

Non-Council collaborators

Fátima Juárez (El Colegio de México)

Susheela Singh (Guttmacher Institute)

Donor

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

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See Also

• Mexico
• Reducing Unsafe Abortion

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