Contraceptive Failure, Discontinuation and Abortion in Romania, 1994-1999: Levels, Patterns and Correlates

Andreea A. Creanga, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Rajib Acharya, Population Council
Saifuddin Ahmed, Johns Hopkins University
Amy Tsui, Johns Hopkins University

This study examines the levels and correlates of contraceptive failure and discontinuation in Romania, together with contraceptive failure consequences for induced abortion. Of special interest is the subset of women relying on withdrawal and the proportion of withdrawal failures resulting in abortion. We use data on women’s contraceptive use and their monthly reproductive behaviors collected in a multi-year calendar in the 1999 Romanian Reproductive Health Survey (RRHS). Weibull regression models are estimated to analyze the determinants of all-method and withdrawal discontinuation and failure. Overall, 19% and 28% of women became pregnant during the first year of using a contraceptive method and withdrawal, respectively. Around 85% of all-method and withdrawal failures ended in abortion, accounting for 35.2% and 24.1%, respectively, of all abortions reported in the 1999 RRHS. Due to high rates of contraceptive failure the practice of induced abortion remained widespread among Romanian women in this period.