Of the 51 minors who had abortions at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2022, some had had a previous abortion and one had had an abortion when the fetus was six months old, according to research presented at a conference held by the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology on August 14-15. 

The research was conducted by physicians at the hospital and the Hanoi University of Medicine in March 2023.

Of the more than 4,700 voluntary pregnancy terminations in 2022 at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 51 involved minors, which accounted for more than 1 percent of the total number of abortions at the hospital. 

The average gestational age of these 51 cases was 13.5 weeks; the lowest was 6 weeks, and the highest was 25 weeks. 

Of the 51 minors having abortions, 27 were in the first three months of pregnancy, accounting for nearly 53 percent, while the remaining had abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Dr Ha Duy Tien from the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the main author of the research, said the ratio of abortions of older fetuses (over 12 weeks) was  high, reflecting the minors’ lack of knowledge about reproductive health. 

In many cases, the pregnancy is discovered late when the fetuses are older. In other cases, they discover the pregnancy but dare not report it to adults or seek help from physicians.

Abortions at a late gestational age increase the risk of procedure failure and complications, especially in adolescents.

The average age of the pregnant adolescent girls studied in the research was 15.7.  The youngest was 12 and the oldest was 18. Two of them were not attending school, and one of them had had a previous abortion.

Only three adolescents (6 percent) used contraception, which shows the lack of knowledge about contraception. 

The research team said that to reduce the ratio of unwanted pregnancies in adolescents, it is necessary to intensify sex education, promote safe sex, and increase access to early reproductive care and safe abortion services.

According to Dr Tien, the abortion rate among teenagers has increased in recent years. A 2014 study showed that the rate in Hanoi was 0.4 percent, while it was 1.08 percent in 2022.

Most of the subjects in Tien’s study were adolescents who still attend school. 

A report published at the end of 2022 by the Ministry of Health showed that the number of teenage pregnancies (15-19 years old) accounts for 2.5-3 percent of all pregnant women in the country.

Linh Giao