According to the DGS report, one in four women who voluntarily terminated a pregnancy in 2022 were aged between 20 and 24 years.
According to the General Directorate of Health’s report on the analysis of pregnancy termination records for 2022, published this Monday, 15,870 pregnancy terminations were carried out at the request of women in the first ten weeks of 2022, “these figures represent an increase of 15% compared to 2021 and which are in line with the trend observed in other European Union countries.”
The data shows that the age group of 20 to 24 years was the one that resorted to voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) the most, accounting for 25.3%, followed by the group of 25 to 29 years (23.7%) and people in aged 30 years. to 34 (20.1%), corresponding to approximately 69% of the total.
The percentage of VVG in women under 20 years of age is declining slightly, falling from 10.8% in 2013 to 8.6% in 2022.
As in previous years, the average age of women remained at 28 years.
“The number of non-Portuguese women who terminated their pregnancies of their own accord increased slightly (28.9% in 2022, 25.9% in 2021 and 24.6% in 2020), corresponding to an increase in the number of foreign women living in Portugal,” – the document says.
Termination of pregnancy at the request of a woman in the first 10 weeks remained the main reason at all ages (96.4%), it said, adding that severe illness or congenital malformations of the unborn child were the cause of 543 VVH (3.3%).
The incidence of IVG (per thousand live births) by health region where a woman lives increased from 180.3 to 196.9 nationally, reflecting the increase seen in all regions.
“This indicator is used for international comparisons, and Portugal recorded rates below the European average, which was 209.9 in 2019 (the latest available data),” the DGS said.
The majority of IVHs are still carried out in the NHS (68.6%), with medication being the most commonly used procedure in these departments (98.9%), while surgery remains the most commonly used procedure in the private sector (95.3%). ). %).
As in previous years, the main type of referral to private facilities was through primary health care facilities. However, in 2022, referrals from public hospitals to these departments increased by approximately 6.5% compared to 2021 (23.5%).
The DGS said the average wait time between pre-consultation and a woman’s elective IVG was 6.4 days (median five days), and the average gestational age at termination remained at seven weeks.
“The average wait time for pre-consultation was 2.88 days, with a median of 1,” he states, noting that the wait in days for pre-consultation may not reflect the actual time between the first moment of actively seeking help for a woman’s participation and the aforementioned consultation, as registration is carried out by the unit conducting the procedure, and not by the one that issues the referral (in the case of non-IVG), which may not coincide.
Most women continue to come to the department on their own initiative for IVG, “which can provide greater autonomy and easier access.”
In 2022, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo continued to be the region where the most IVGs were conducted, but despite accounting for 58.9% of the total IVGs, it was found that 3.1% of women were not resident in this district.
This difference was also found in the North and Algarve regions, but to a lesser extent.
About 93% of women who underwent IVH subsequently chose a contraceptive method, with the share of long-acting method options decreasing by about 2.5 percentage points compared to 2021 to 35.1%.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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