Decision-making trajectories leading to termination of an unplanned pregnancy: specificities among adolescent and adult women

ABSTRACTObjective: To describe the decision-making trajectories leading to termination of an unplanned pregnancy and to explore the differences according to women’s age.Background: Although decision-making regarding abortion has been conceptualised as a multiphase event, the different trajectories leading to termination of an unplanned pregnancy remain unexplored.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 422 women (248 adolescents, 174 adults) who had an abortion were recruited. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires at 16 Portuguese healthcare services.Results: Eight decision-making trajectories leading to termination of an unplanned pregnancy were identified according to the sequence: consideration (or not) to continue the pregnancy, conceal (or not) the decision from the family, the main decision-maker, and reasons for abortion. The most frequent trajectory included women who did not consider its continuation, did not conceal the reproductive decision from their family, were the main deci...