Women's experiences of and perspectives on abortion at public facilities in Mexico City three years following decriminalization.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To understand the experiences of women undergoing legal first-trimester abortion through Mexico City's Ministry of Health (MOH) services. Aims included comparing satisfaction with medical and surgical abortion services; drawing evidence-based recommendations for program improvement; and measuring contraceptive uptake following abortion. METHODS: A total of 350 women completed a 65-item survey questionnaire at 2 main MOH abortion facilities. Moreover, a subset of 20 participated in an in-depth interview. Multivariate analysis was performed to investigate satisfaction with abortion care and in-depth interview (IDI) data were analyzed. RESULTS: The participants overwhelmingly reported satisfaction with the care they received, with no significant differences between the medical and surgical abortion groups. However, qualitative data revealed a need for a more sympathetic staff, reduced waiting times, more comprehensive information on surgical abortion, and counseling that includes psychosocial issues. Postabortion contraception uptake was high, with most women opting for the intrauterine device. CONCLUSION: The quantitative analysis suggests that although most women were satisfied with the services, some areas were identified as requiring improvement. The IDI data suggest that women wanted counseling to better address psychosocial needs and allow for discussion on a wider range of contraceptive methods.