Unintended pregnancy and induced abortion among unmarried women in China: a systematic review

We searched the Chinese Biomedical Literature Index from 1978 to 2002; PUBMED; and EMBASE. Trials were assessed and data extracted by two people independently.Nine studies, of which seven were conducted in the urban areas, one in the rural areas, and one in both urban and rural areas, met the inclusion criteria. In the seven studies in urban areas, the majority of unmarried women had experienced sexual intercourse, with estimates ranging from 54% to 82% in five studies. Estimates of a previous pregnancy ranged from 12% to 32%. Abortion rates were high, ranging between 11 to 55% in 8 studies reporting this, which exclude the one rural study. In the three studies reporting both pregnancy and abortion, most women who had become pregnant had an induced abortion (range 86% to 96%). One large rural study documented a lower low pregnancy rate (20%) and induced abortion rate (0.8%).There is a large unmet need for temporary methods of contraception in urban areas of China.In the past two decades, China has experienced dramatic social changes associated with rapid economy growth and reform. Traditional attitudes towards sex, marriage and family have changed, and pre-marital sex is more acceptable [1]. Reproductive health care is available through government services. A variety of contraceptive services including induced abortion are widely available at township and upper level health facilities. Contraceptive tablets and condoms are also available at drug stores and supermarkets [2]. "Backstreet" abortion, often seen in many other developing countries, has become rare in China, particularly in the urban areas. This is largely because of effective rectification of medical care market by the Chinese government. However, the current National Family Planning Programme targets married couples and the young people have little access to information or advice about contraception. Against this background, we wanted to assess whether current reproductive health services were meeting th