Psychosocial profiles of women who legally terminated a pregnancy in Mexico City

Abstract

Introduction. Reproductive autonomy enables a person to freely decide their life plan, including sexual and reproductive health. However, its exercise can be constrained by health determinants and other structural conditions. Knowing the background of women who undergo a Legal Interruption of Pregnancy (LIP) helps identify patterns of inequality and their impact on the exercise of reproductive autonomy. Objective. To analyze the profile of women who legally terminate a pregnancy in Mexico City. Method. Latent class analysis, with the participation of 274 women who terminated a first trimester pregnancy at a public facility. Results. Model of two latent classes: adult (68.34%) and young women (31.65%). Stigma was the predictor variable for class; the higher the score, the lower the probability of belonging to the adult group (p = .019). Adult women were characterized by having lower educational attainment, engaging in unpaid activities, having at least one child, and having had previous abortions, having experienced intimate partner violence in the past twelve months and reporting that their partners did not agree with the interruption of their pregnancy. Young women were students, partnered and reported that their partners had agreed with them to request an abortion. Discussion and conclusion. Despite the legal changes effected, stigma is still present in the abortion demand and access, particularly for women with certain characteristics. It would be useful to include interventions to reduce stigma in counseling, using an approach based on previous experience.