Abstract | INTRODUCTION: OBJECTIVES: To investigate if the number of induced abortions and ongoing pregnancies changed during the first pandemic wave of COVID-19 in 2020 compared with recent years prior to the pandemic and explore possible reasons for the findings. DESIGN: Convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Collection of quantitative data from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish Pregnancy Register, and qualitative data from interviews. SETTING AND TIME PERIOD: National data on abortions (January 2018-June 2020) and births (January 2018-March 2021). Interviews performed at the main abortion clinic, Gothenburg, Sweden, in June 2020. PARTICIPANTS: All women aged 15-44 years living in Sweden 2018-2020, approximately 1.9 million. 15 women who sought abortion were interviewed. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of abortions and births/1000 women aged 15-44 years. Themes and subthemes identified from interviews. RESULTS: The number of abortions and ongoing pregnancies did not change significantly during the study period compared with before the pandemic started. Interview themes identified were the following: meeting with abortion care during the COVID-19 pandemic (availability, and fear of being infected and infecting others); and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the abortion decision (to catch COVID-19 during pregnancy, feelings of loneliness and isolation, and social aspects). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the number of abortions and ongoing pregnancies remained unchanged during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Sweden compared with before the start of the pandemic. Abortion-seeking women did not hesitate to proceed with the abortion. The women expressed a number of fears concerning both availability of care and their health, which could have been properly addressed by the authorities.
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Authors | Johanna Rydelius, Mina Edalat, Viola Nyman, Tagrid Jar-Allah, Ian Milsom, Helena Hognert |
Journal | BMJ open
(BMJ Open)
Vol. 12
Issue 2
Pg. e054076
(02 23 2022)
ISSN: 2044-6055 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 35197343
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Copyright | © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. |
Topics |
- Abortion, Induced
- Adolescent
- Adult
- COVID-19
- Female
- Humans
- Pandemics
- Pregnancy
- SARS-CoV-2
- Sweden
(epidemiology)
- Young Adult
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