Multicountry analysis of pregnancy termination and intimate partner violence in Latin America using Demographic and Health Survey data

Abstract

Objective: To assess the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and pregnancy termination in Latin America.

Methods: Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data were analyzed for Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, and Guatemala. Women were asked about their experiences with violence by partners and pregnancy termination. The association between IPV and risk for termination was assessed using adjusted odds ratios (OR) with correction for intracluster correlations.

Results: The average prevalence of IPV across the five countries was 31.8%. Women who reported IPV had 1.4 times the odds of experiencing pregnancy termination OR 1.41 (95% CI, 1.32-1.50). A positive dose-response relationship was observed between IPV and termination; a woman who reported three types of IPV showed three times the odds of experiencing pregnancy termination compared with a woman who did not report IPV. Elimination of exposure to IPV in all five countries was associated with 167 743 fewer pregnancy terminations.

Conclusion: IPV is a risk factor for pregnancy termination. Reduction or elimination of IPV is associated with substantial decline in pregnancy terminations in Latin America. Routine prenatal screening for IPV and counseling could potentially avert a substantial number of pregnancy terminations in these settings.

Keywords: Intimate partner violence; Latin America; Pregnancy termination.