Induced abortion. Epidemiological study after eight years of enforcement of Law 194

: The authors describe a study of induced abortions performed at the obstetric and gynecological university clinic in Siena, Italy, during the period 6/1/84-5/31/86, contrasting data with the experience of the first two years (6/1/78-5/31/80) of existence of law no. 194 introduced in 1978. The law legalized abortion--until then considered a social wound on society--thus making abortions more easily quantifiable from an epidemiological point of view. Since that initial period the socio- sanitary reality has changed substantially, i.e., a national progressive increase in the number of abortions was followed by a downward trend that has persisted since then, due to greater openness toward the use of contraceptive methods, in the mass media. A correct evaluation of the number of abortions cannot be obtained due to continued secret abortions. The study reflects the national trend, since during the first period, 2171 induced abortions were performed versus 1450 during the second period (a 13.14% decrease). Questionnaires asked patients about their age, geographic origin, occupation, marital status, week of pregnancy, possible previously induced abortions, length of stay in the hospital, and birth control method used at the time of induced abortion. The most significant variations in the parameters studied for the two periods demonstrated reduced waiting periods before an induced abortion operation was performed (during early pregnancy), a reduced number of requests by patients living in remote areas of the province, reduced time spent as inpatient in the clinic, and an increased percentage of women with previously induced abortions. The number of women preferring a certain type of birth control method during the two periods is comparable, except a slight increase was noted for those using IUD. It is concluded that there are still large lacunae in the area of abortion prevention in Italy, e.g., coitus interruptus is still widely practiced.