Abortion Surveillance - United States, 2019

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Demography

Background:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts abortion surveillance to monitor legal induced abortions and related deaths in the U.S.
• This surveillance is crucial for understanding reproductive health trends and informing public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the number and characteristics of women obtaining legal induced abortions in the United States for 2019.
• To analyze trends in abortion rates and ratios from 2010 to 2019.
• To assess abortion-related deaths through the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS).

Main Methods:

• Abortion data was collected from 49 reporting areas for 2019.
• Abortion rates and ratios were calculated using U.S. Census and natality data.
• Abortion-related deaths were assessed using data from the PMSS.

Main Results:

• In 2019, 629,898 abortions were reported. From 2010-2019, total abortions, rates, and ratios decreased by 18%, 21%, and 13% respectively.
• From 2018-2019, there was a 2% increase in total abortions, a 0.9% increase in abortion rate, and a 3% increase in abortion ratio.
• Women in their 20s accounted for over half of abortions. Abortion rates were highest for ages 20-29, while ratios were highest for adolescents.
• Most abortions (79.3%) occurred at or before 9 weeks' gestation. In 2018, two abortion-related deaths were reported.

Conclusions:

• Despite a long-term decrease, a recent short-term increase in abortions was observed.
• Surveillance data is vital for evaluating programs aimed at improving contraceptive services and reducing unintended pregnancies.
• Understanding demographic trends and gestational age at abortion is essential for public health planning.