Abstract
Objective(s)
We studied women's experiences seeking and receiving second-trimester abortion care
in two geographically and legislatively different settings to inform ways to improve
abortion care access and services.
Study design
We conducted in-depth interviews with women who obtained second-trimester abortion
care. Themes from the interviews were then used to inform a self-administered survey,
which was completed by 108 women who received second-trimester abortion care in the
Northeast and Midwest. We calculated descriptive statistics and used chi-squared and
t-tests to compare responses.
Results
We interviewed eight women and surveyed 108 women. Most interviewees and 65.2% of
survey respondents reported difficulties accessing care. Although most interview and
survey respondents had insurance, a slight majority reported difficulty funding care.
All interviewees and 57.9% of survey respondents reported positive experiences with
providers, with many interviewees and 62.0% of survey respondents saying their abortion
care was better than their usual health care. Most interviewees and 75.8% of survey
respondents reported pain as low to moderate, and the majority of participants reported
it was the same or less than expected. Knowledge about abortion restrictions was low.
Most interviewees and 68.4% survey respondents disagreed with restrictions on insurance
coverage of abortion. Common recommendations to improve experiences were to ensure
travel and financial support and to decrease wait times at clinics. There were few
regional differences among outcomes.
Conclusion(s)
Women seeking second-trimester abortion in these locations reported positive abortion
experiences. However, they had to overcome significant obstacles to obtain care.
Implications
This is the first study to systematically research women's second-trimester care experiences
in two different regions of the United States. Regardless of location, women experienced
barriers due to policies that impose gestational age restrictions, limit provider
availability (consequently increasing wait times), and increase costs. Policy change
to reduce these barriers is critical to improve access to and experiences with second
trimester abortion care.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 01, 2017
Accepted:
August 23,
2017
Received in revised form:
August 21,
2017
Received:
February 17,
2017
Footnotes
☆Disclosure: The author(s) report(s) no conflict of interest.
☆☆Role of funding source: Financial support was provided by the Society of Family Planning.
★Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PPFA, Inc., or of the Society of Family Planning.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
