Effectiveness of post-abortion care services to protect women’s fertility in China: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of post-abortion care services in Chinese women who have undergone induced abortion. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in five databases from January 2011 to June 2023 (PROSPERO registration CRD42023440458). Estimates of intervention effects were represented as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the strength of recommendations. Results The meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled studies involving 70,126 participants indicated that post-abortion care services could significantly increase rate of effective contraceptive use (RR = 2.33, 95%CI = 1.80–3.00, 10 studies, GRADE (Medium)), reduce repeat abortion rate (RR = 0.26, 95%CI = 0.20–0.36, 19 studies, GRADE (High)), increase follow-up visit rate (RR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.06–1.75, 5 studies, GRADE (Very low)) in one year after abortions, and improve patient satisfaction rate (RR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.03–1.83, 9 studies, GRADE (High)). Conclusion Post-abortion care services could help increase the rate of continuation of post-abortion effective contraceptives, prevent repeat abortions, and promote female fertility. Exploring strategies for better provision of post-abortion services requires more high-quality research.