Common mental disorders in late pregnancy in women who wanted or attempted an abortion

In countries where legal abortion is restricted, many unwanted pregnancies are carried to term. Attempting an unsuccessful abortion may influence women's mental health. This study investigated the common mental disorders (CMDs) of depression and anxiety in the third trimester of pregnancy in women who wanted or had attempted an abortion in a poor region of Brazil.

CMDs were assessed by using the 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) in all pregnant women aged 18-49 years who were registered with publicly funded primary health care in Recife, Northeast Brazil.

The study achieved a high response rate and 1121 (98.9%) women completed the interview. The prevalence of CMDs for the sample was 43.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 40.2-46.1], and 63.6% (95% CI 55.4-71.2) among the 13.7% of women who attempted an abortion. The association between CMDs and attempted an abortion [odds ratio (OR) 2.05, 95% CI 1.3-3.1] remained after adjustment for confounders.

This study found that attempting an abortion in the current pregnancy was associated with CMDs. Good access to family planning programs, including access to contraceptive methods and safe abortion, should help to improve the mental health of women.