Legalized abortion and profile of women at New Delhi.

Sixty two nulliparous, 150 low parity (para 1 & 2) and 148 medium or high parity (3 +) women reported for abortion services at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, during the study period between 1st January to 30th April 1975. 90. 9% of all women were urban residents, 85. 0% were currently married. 64. 9% were educated upt to middle standard or more and 80. 0% had no induced abortion in the past. 58. 1% of nulliparous women, 16. 0% of low parity and 10. 8% of medium or high parity reported late for abortion at 13 weeks or more of gestational period. 84. 0% of low parity and 77. 7% of medium or high parity women had live births previous to present conception. 66. 3% of low parity, 10. 1% of medium or high parity and 9. 6% of nulliparous women conceived in spite of using a contraceptive method. All parous women and 33. 2% of nulliparous adopted a contraceptive method soon after having abortions. 43 INTRODUCTION a single group for demographic and contraceptive variables 1• 2 , 4 , 5 >. The number of absortions performed since implementation of Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of India (1971 ) on 1st April 1972, were 24, 100 during 197273, 44, 000 during 197374 and 90, 700 during 197475; which fall short of an estimated 5 million annual abortions before legalization2• 3, a, 9 >. Out of these women under going abortion all over India, 11. 1% were riulliparous, 36. 0% were of low parity and 52. 9% were of medium to high parity9 >. Most of the investigators who have studied these women have analysed them as * Dr. Ratan Singh, M. B. B. S., M. D. Present Study: has studied them a step further by segregating them into nulliparous, low parity and medium or high parity women as they are likely to differ in the demographic, reproductive and contraceptive characteristics depending on their parity. MATERIALS AND METHODS All consecutive women reporting at Medical Termination of Pregnancy (M.T.P) Clinic of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I. M.S.), New Delhi were studied. InvestigaFormerly: Tutor (Senior Resident ) Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Services, New Delhi (July 1973 to Dec. 1976). Presently: Lecturer, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Garyounis, Benghazi, Libya.