The numbers from the last two years, says the DGS in the report, “changed the downward trend that had been occurring since 2011”. Still, the increase seen last year is “much smaller” than what was recorded in 2022.
The number of voluntary terminations of pregnancy (IVG) increased for the second year in a row, according to the 2023 Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy Records Analysis Report.
The document published this Friday by the (DGS) reveals that, during the last year, 17,124 pregnancy interruptions were recorded, an increase of 3% compared to the year 2022.
The numbers from the last two years, says the DGS in the report, “changed the downward trend that had been occurring since 2011”. Still, the increase seen last year is “much smaller” than what was recorded in 2022, the year in which voluntary terminations of pregnancy increased by 15.9% compared to 2021.
The increase seen last year, adds the report, “was transversal to most regions of the country”, with the exception of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region.
In the remaining analysis parameters, the report shows that the termination of pregnancy by the woman’s choice in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy remains the main reason at all ages, representing 96.7% of the total. 2.8% of pregnancy terminations were due to serious illness or congenital malformations of the unborn child.
In relation to the ages at which pregnancy terminations are carried out, the DGS reveals that “the age group that recorded the highest absolute number continued to be 20-24 years of age”. Next are women aged 25 to 29 and 8.4% of IVG were performed by women under 20.
The National Health Service continues to be the sector that performs the most IVG in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, representing 65.5%, and the most used procedure in these hospital units continues to be medication (98.7%).
In the private sector, the most used method continues to be surgery (81.5%), but there was a decrease in this procedure compared to last year.
Still in relation to the places where IVG are carried out, the DGS report reveals that “the majority of pregnant women resorted to a public unit on their own initiative (63.2%)”, but the number of referrals from public hospitals to the sector increased private.
Around 90% of women who had IVG “subsequently chose a contraceptive method”, and the choice for a long-term method increased by 1.1 percentage points compared to the year 2022.
