Contraception and abortion in two Vietnamese communes

Objectives. The authors examined factors predicting abortion use in two communes in northern Vietnam. Methods. A survey of 504 rural and 523 urban women of childbearing age was conducted. Results. For the 13.6% of urban and 19% of rural commune women having had an abortion in the previous year, logistic regression analyses demonstrated that use of an intrauterine device reduced the likelihood of subsequent abortion in both communes. Traditional method use in the rural commune, however, increased women's likelihood of a subsequent abortion. Conclusions. Contraceptive use in these 2 communes affected abortion more than sociodemographic factors. Traditional method use by rural women is a risk for abortion.