Previous Pregnancies Among Young Women Having an Abortion in England and Wales.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use national statistics on abortions carried out in England and Wales to more precisely estimate the proportion of young women aged <20 years obtaining an abortion who have had one or more previous pregnancies.
Methods: Secondary analysis of abortion data from the Office of National Statistic and the Department of Health by parity for women aged <20 years, ordinarily residing in England and Wales, from 1992 to 2013.
Results: Over the past 20 years, the proportion of teenagers in England and Wales having an abortion as a result of a subsequent pregnancy increased by 33% (from .172 in 1992 to .229 in 2013). Most of this increase occurred before 2004, and the proportion now appears to have stabilized. In 2013, 22.9% of the young women aged <20 years who underwent an abortion had had at least one previous pregnancy (either a birth or an abortion). Only a minority (<5% of young women who obtained an abortion) had had more than one previous pregnancy.
Conclusions: The findings show that nearly one in four teenagers presenting for an abortion have already been in contact with health services for a previous birth or abortion. Greater policy emphasis must be placed on the accurate identification of the proportion of teenage pregnancies that occur as a result of a subsequent pregnancy and developing more effective "secondary prevention" interventions to help the first-time pregnant and parenting teenagers manage their future reproductive lives and prevent further unplanned pregnancies.
(Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)