Director of Public Health Annual Report 2011 - NHS North Somerset

Chapter 3
Unintended Pregnancies
What’s the problem?
Unintended pregnancies are common with
almost one in three pregnancies being either
mistimed (earlier than desired) or unwanted 11 .
Unintended pregnancies can lead to poor
physical and emotional health of mother and
child. This is due to a number of possible
factors including delayed antenatal care and
a higher likelihood of alcohol consumption,
smoking and sexually transmitted infections
and domestic violence.
Some unintended pregnancies will result in
a termination of pregnancy – also known as
abortion. As well as the potentially negative
physical and emotional effects to the women,
there is a considerable cost to the NHS. It is
estimated that the cost of abortions in North
Somerset during 2010 was £249,000.
Director of Public 3Health Annual Report 2011
In 2010, there were 399 terminations in
women living in North Somerset, a 10%
reduction from the previous year. Over the
last five years, terminations locally have been
declining and levels are lower than the
England average.
The age group most likely to have a
termination in North Somerset is the 20-24
age group, an older age profile than the
national average (Figure 3).
In women aged under 25, 19% were repeat
terminations which is lower than the national
average of 25%.
Women living in Weston-super-Mare had
the highest rate of terminations in North
Somerset although rates in Central and South
Wards are low.
Figure 3 Termination of pregnancy rates in North Somerset and England (2008 – 2010)
Source: Department of Health Abortion Statistics
11
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Long acting reversible contraception: the effective
and appropriate use of long-acting reversible contraception. Clinical Guideline 30. October 2005.
13