TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - The association between intimate partner violence and self-managed abortion: a cross-sectional study among women in urban Bangladesh
JO  - Sexual and reproductive health matters
A1  - Crouthamel, Bonnie
A1  - Dixit, Anvita
A1  - Pearson, Erin
A1  - Menzel, Jamie
A1  - Paul, Dipika
A1  - Shakhider, Mohammad Abdul Hannan
A1  - Silverman, Jay
A1  - Averbach, Sarah
SP  - e2107078
EP  - e2107078
VL  - 29
IS  - 2
N2  - In Bangladesh, abortion is illegal, except to save a woman's life. However, menstrual regulation (MR) to induce menstruation up to 12 weeks from the last menstrual period is permitted. Although safe and legal MR services are available, many women choose to self-manage their abortions. The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh is high. Whether IPV is associated with self-managed abortion is unknown. Between January and December 2019 we administered cross-sectional surveys to women presenting for MR or post-abortion care (PAC) services at facilities in six cities in Bangladesh assessing if women had ever experienced IPV and if they attempted to self-manage their abortion. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between IPV and self-managed abortion and multinomial logistic regression to the association between IPV by type: (none, any physical, any sexual, or both) and self-managed abortion. Among 2679 women who presented for MR or PAC care and participated in the survey, 473 (17.7%) had previously attempted to self-manage abortion. Women who had ever experienced any IPV were more likely to attempt self-managed abortion prior to presenting for MR or PAC (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.52, 95% CI 1.24, 1.87). Women who ever experienced physical IPV were more likely to attempt self-managed abortion (adjusted relative risk ratio (aRRR) = 1.62, 95% CI 1.30, 2.03). Women who have ever experienced physical IPV may be more likely to attempt a self-managed abortion because they seek more covert ways of ending a pregnancy out of fear for their safety, or because of limited mobility or lack of resources. Interventions to support women to safely self-manage abortion should focus on populations with higher rates of IPV.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2641-0397
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2022.2107078
ID  - ref1
ER  -