ArticleAmerican journal of obstetrics and gynecology2022
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on abortion care utilization and disparities by age.
Article in American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends in Hospital Abortion During the First 2 Years of COVID-19 in Quebec, Canada: Results From a Population-Based Observational Study.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Observational
- Knowledge and use of emergency contraceptives amid women seeking termination of pregnancy in the North West province.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 among women seeking abortion services in Nepal: results from a longitudinal study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Trends in Abortion Rates in Ontario, Canada.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- "Distinct and Separate Issues": Examining US Adults' Attitudes Toward Abortion During COVID-19.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Article
- Changes in abortion access after implementation of Medicaid coverage in Illinois: a retrospective analysis.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Abortion Return Rates and Wait Times Before and After Texas' Executive Order Banning Abortion During COVID-19.American journal of public health · 2024Article
- COVID-19 Pandemic and Hospitalizations due to Abortion among 10- to 14-Year-Old Girls in Brazil.Portuguese journal of public health · 2024Article
- Use of Abortion Services in Massachusetts After the Dobbs Decision Among In-State vs Out-of-State Residents.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on health services utilization in mainland China and its different regions based on S-ARIMA predictions.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergency measures on abortion care taken during this period in a French region (Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur).Journal of gynecology obstetrics and human reproduction · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA variety of state-level restrictions were placed on abortion care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to drops in utilization and delays in time to abortion. Other pandemic-related factors also may have impacted receipt of abortion care, potentially exacerbating existing barriers to care. Massachusetts is an ideal setting to study the impact of these other pandemic-related factors on abortion care utilization because there was no wide-scale abortion policy change in response to the pandemic.
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on abortion care utilization and disparities in utilization by patient age in Massachusetts. STUDY
designUsing the electronic medical records from all abortions that occurred at the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts from May 1, 2017 through December 31, 2020 (N=35,411), we performed time series modeling to estimate monthly changes in the number of abortions from the expected counts during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also assessed if legal minors (<18 years) experienced delays in time to abortion, based on gestational age at procedure, and whether minors were differentially impacted by the pandemic.
resultsThere were 1725 less abortions than expected, corresponding to a 20% drop, from March 2020 to December 2020 (95% prediction interval, -2025 to -1394) with 888 less (20% reduction) abortions among adults, 792 (20% reduction) less among young adults, and 45 (27% reduction) among minors. Adults and young adults experienced significant reductions in the number of abortions beginning in March 2020, whereas decreases among minors did not begin until July 2020. The rate of abortions occurring ≥12 weeks gestational age was unchanged during the COVID-19 pandemic among minors (adjusted rate ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-1.51) and among adults (adjusted rate ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.78-1.09). Young adults had a lower rate of second trimester abortion during the pandemic (adjusted rate ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.95).
conclusionDespite uninterrupted abortion service provision, abortion care utilization decreased markedly in Massachusetts during the pandemic. There was no evidence of an increase in second trimester abortions in any age group. Further research is needed to determine if a decline in the pregnancy rate or other factors, such as financial and travel barriers, fear of infection, or privacy concerns, may have contributed to this decline.
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