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Due to the restrictive abortion legislation which operates in almost all Latin American countries, knowledge about the incidence of induced abortions, their associated complications and related mortality is unreliable and approximate. There is little doubt, however, that the incidence of induced abortion in Latin America is among the highest in the world. The number of deaths due to complications from unsafe abortions is severely underestimated throughout the region. Based on Royston's method called the "maternal mortality route", the authors estimate that the actual number of abortion-related deaths in Latin America is between 5000 and 10,000 per year. Thus, compared to the estimated 4-6 million annual induced abortions, the abortion-related mortality rate would range from 83 to 250 deaths per 100,000 abortions. It is clear from the calculations presented that induced abortion in Latin America is a serious public health problem associated with deaths and health complications which could largely be avoided through the provision of accessible and appropriate family planning methods and the availability of high-quality abortion services. (author's)

The data and estimates presented suggest that the incidence of induced abortion in Latin America is high. In individual countries the average total abortion rate, ie lifetime induced abortions, seems to be between one and two per woman of fertile age, if not higher. The incidence of induced abortion in Latin America appears to be among the highest in the world, comparable to several East Asian and East European countries. Apparently the practice of induced abortion was already quite extensive in urban Latin America in the 1960s at a time when the use of contraception was low. As of the 1980s, induced abortion accounts for about one quarter of deliberate fertility control, and contraception for the remaining three quarters. The high incidence of induced abortion is due to an imbalance between the strong motivation for smaller families and the imperfect availability and utilization of contraception. The motivation for smaller families is widespread and contraceptive prevalence has been increasing steadily since the 1960s, yet many barriers exist to its universal and effective application. Contraceptives are not always available when needed; frequently access is difficult, particularly for young, single, and poor women and men; knowledge about reproductive functions and contraceptives is deficient and erroneous among large proportions of women; and at times the use of contraception is at odds with deeply in grained cultural and social patterns, as well as with personal sentiments. For these and other reasons, contraceptive failure is not uncommon. Consequently, the incidence of unwanted pregnancy is high and many women/couples resort to induced abortion.

Although abortion legislation is restrictive in Latin America, the limited available data confirm the region¿s high volume of abortion. The average number of abortions per woman in Latin America is around 1.5, according to estimates of various authors. Abortion contributes an estimated one-fourth of deliberate fertility control in the region. Abortion rates depend on the degree of motivation for limiting births and the availability and use of contraception. The motivation for smaller families preceded widespread introduction of modern contraception into Latin America. Fertility began to decline before 1960 in a few countries and declined more rapidly thereafter, due principally to induced abortion. The decline continued as contraceptive usage increased rapidly and substantially in the 1970s and 1980s. Abortion rates remained high, basically because the desire for smaller families was widely diffused, while barriers of different kinds hampered access to modern contraception. Inadequate contraceptive supplies, restricted choice of methods, lack of access for women who are poor or single or adolescent, misguided fears about health effects, and poor understanding of the operation of health services may all constitute obstacles to contraceptive use. Contraceptive failure is not infrequent and is another factor in the persistence of abortion. Even within the framework of restrictive legislation, steps could be taken to reduce the problem of abortion: improving the supply and availability of contraceptives, improving the quality of services, promoting sex education, and improving the status of women.

The present article is a review of the literature concerning adolescent pregnancy and its relation to psychosocial variables. A summary of the major findings is presented for each of the following headings: the adolescent's family of origin; peer group; boyfriend or husband; the adolescents' personal characteristics; and knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning sexual relations, use of contraceptives and pregnancy. Considering that the specific socio-cultural characteristics of Mexico most likely modify some of the patterns described in other countries, the relevance of these findings to Mexico should be carefully studied and analyzed in order to provide objective, culturally relevant bases for preventive and educational programs. (Author's).

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of early contact between mother and her newborn (during the 1st hour after birth) and the establishment and duration of breastfeeding, within the context of a rooming-in service which provides continuous 24 hour contact during postpartum hospitalization. 60 healthy pares were studied, 30 of which were provided with early contact and rooming-in, while the other 30 experienced regular rooming-in. Milk production was measured during the 1st 3 days postpartum. The early contact group had significantly greater milk production on the 1st day than the group with only rooming-in. However, by the 2nd and 3rd days, this difference was no longer present. These results suggest that the continued contact and demand feeding which rooming-in provides compensates for the initial advantage of the mothers early contact group. With respect to duration of lactation, 50% of the mothers were still breastfeeding at 6 months regardless of the group to which they belonged. It is concluded that the early contact has a positive effect on the establishment of milk production in the 1st day. However, it had no additional impact on the duration of breastfeeding given the continued contact of the rooming-in experience. Mothers for this study all lived in the Federal District in Mexico and delivered full-term, healthybabies. They had no significant differences in age, parity, socioeconomic status, education, or prenatal care/instruction. (author's modified)

The variables involved in the duration of breastfeeding were analyzed in a group of 60 mothers in Mexico who were followed from delivery until 6 months postpartum. 2 groups were formed: women without any previous breastfeeding experience (primipara) and women with previous experience (multipara). The analysis was performed by step wise regression, grouping the variables in 2 classification systems. The 1st, which was according to temporal proximity to breastfeeding practice, divided the variables into predisposing prenatal, early, and late neonatal factors. The 2nd, according to the level of organization, used the following categories: social, biological, and behavioral motivation. The results show that both groups of mothers base their breastfeeding on the confidence that they have in their own breastfeeding capacity. For the primiparal, this confidence is expressed by age, the advantages they found in nonhuman milk, their milk production, the difficulty they had in establishing breastfeeding during the 1st days, and their anticipation of future breastfeeding problems. The multiparal base their confidence on their prior experience in addition to the previously mentioned factors. The multivariate regression for the primipara explained 98.41% of the variance. Of the 3 significant variables, early postpartum contact accounted for 74.43%. In the case of multiparal, 66.70% of the variance was explained by variables. Of these, the starting age of supplementation was negatively related and explained 47.14% of the variance.