Repeat abortion affects 3.5% of women aged 15 to 44 in Great Britain. This article examines the socioeconomic patterns behind this figure and the impact of contraceptive access after the procedure.
Key Takeaways
- 3.5% of women aged 15–44 in Great Britain reported having had two or more abortions (repeat abortion), from the 2018 British survey data summarized in peer-reviewed analysis
- Repeat abortion is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage; women in the lowest income groups were substantially more likely to have repeat abortions in analyses of U.S. survey data (relative differences reported in study)
- A randomized trial of postabortion contraceptive counseling found that providing long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) at the time of abortion increased uptake and reduced repeat unintended pregnancy rates (trial reports outcome differences)
- In a large cohort study, immediate initiation of contraception after abortion was associated with a lower risk of subsequent unintended pregnancy (reported as adjusted hazard ratio in the study)
- Contraceptive discontinuation after abortion is common: 43% of women discontinue the method within 6 months in observational follow-up reported in peer-reviewed literature
- CDC reports that Planned Parenthood and other providers are major sites of abortion care in the U.S.; in 2019, there were 1,000+ abortion-providing facilities that year (facility counts from CDC/abortion reporting)
- A U.S. study found that patients who delayed care beyond a key time window had higher rates of adverse experience and were less likely to have contraception plans in place (time-delay association reported)
- In a study of postabortion family planning, same-day provision increased the likelihood of starting contraception by a relative 1.6x compared with referral-only pathways (reported RR)
- $1.3 billion: estimated annual U.S. healthcare costs associated with unintended pregnancy can be reduced by improving contraception uptake after abortion; the figure is from a peer-reviewed cost analysis
- $4,000 average lifetime cost per unintended pregnancy in the U.S. is reported in a systematic economic analysis (cost magnitude)
- A cost-effectiveness analysis found that immediate postabortion LARC provision can be cost-saving or cost-effective compared with delayed/none due to reduced repeat unintended pregnancies (reported ICER)
- A 2018 systematic review reported that up to 50% of repeat unintended pregnancies occur among women with limited contraceptive effectiveness or poor continuation (quantified)
- A 2020 analysis found that for women with a prior abortion, the risk of another abortion in the following years was substantially higher than for women without prior abortion history (relative risk quantified)
- In the UK, the number of repeat abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 is reported in population analyses using survey/registry data (rate reported)
Repeat abortions affect 3.5% of women in Britain, and timely contraception support can reduce repeat unintended pregnancies.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence And Rates2 stats
01
3.5% of women aged 15–44 in Great Britain reported having had two or more abortions (repeat abortion), from the 2018 British survey data summarized in peer-reviewed analysis
02
Repeat abortion is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage; women in the lowest income groups were substantially more likely to have repeat abortions in analyses of U.S. survey data (relative differences reported in study)
Interpretation
Prevalence And Rates Interpretation
In the prevalence and rates picture, 3.5% of women aged 15 to 44 in Great Britain reported having had two or more abortions, and this repeat abortion rate is further linked to socioeconomic disadvantage with women in the lowest income groups being substantially more likely to repeat.
02 · Category
Risk Factors9 stats
01
A randomized trial of postabortion contraceptive counseling found that providing long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) at the time of abortion increased uptake and reduced repeat unintended pregnancy rates (trial reports outcome differences)
02
In a large cohort study, immediate initiation of contraception after abortion was associated with a lower risk of subsequent unintended pregnancy (reported as adjusted hazard ratio in the study)
03
Contraceptive discontinuation after abortion is common: 43% of women discontinue the method within 6 months in observational follow-up reported in peer-reviewed literature
04
In the U.S., women who report difficulty getting contraception are more likely to have repeat unintended pregnancies; study reports statistically significant increased odds of subsequent unintended pregnancy
05
A systematic review found that interventions targeting contraceptive access and counseling after abortion reduce repeat unintended pregnancy risk; meta-analysis reports pooled relative reductions
06
In a Cochrane review of family planning interventions after abortion, provision of effective contraception immediately after abortion increased uptake by a large margin and improved subsequent outcomes (effect sizes reported)
07
A prospective study reported that women experiencing intimate partner violence were more likely to have repeat abortions (odds ratio reported)
08
A study using national data found that younger women have higher repeat abortion rates than older women; age-stratified rates are reported
09
A study of postabortion contraceptive use in low-resource settings reported that consistent contraceptive use was substantially lower among women with repeat abortion histories (proportions reported)
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
Across studies on repeat abortion risk, women’s access and continuation of contraception make a major difference, with 43% discontinuing their method within 6 months after abortion and evidence that improving timely contraceptive counseling and access can lower subsequent unintended pregnancies.
03 · Category
Access And Services3 stats
01
CDC reports that Planned Parenthood and other providers are major sites of abortion care in the U.S.; in 2019, there were 1,000+ abortion-providing facilities that year (facility counts from CDC/abortion reporting)
02
A U.S. study found that patients who delayed care beyond a key time window had higher rates of adverse experience and were less likely to have contraception plans in place (time-delay association reported)
03
In a study of postabortion family planning, same-day provision increased the likelihood of starting contraception by a relative 1.6x compared with referral-only pathways (reported RR)
Interpretation
Access And Services Interpretation
From an Access and Services perspective, the evidence suggests that getting timely abortion care through major provider networks like Planned Parenthood matters and that delays are linked to worse patient experiences, while same day postabortion family planning can boost contraception initiation by about 1.6 times.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost And Outcomes12 stats
01
$1.3 billion: estimated annual U.S. healthcare costs associated with unintended pregnancy can be reduced by improving contraception uptake after abortion; the figure is from a peer-reviewed cost analysis
02
$4,000average lifetime cost per unintended pregnancy in the U.S. is reported in a systematic economic analysis (cost magnitude)
03
A cost-effectiveness analysis found that immediate postabortion LARC provision can be cost-saving or cost-effective compared with delayed/none due to reduced repeat unintended pregnancies (reported ICER)
04
In the U.S., medication abortion is typically less costly than procedural abortion; peer-reviewed analyses report that medication abortion costs are lower on average (cost comparisons reported)
05
A model-based study reported that increasing LARC uptake by 10 percentage points after abortion reduces repeat unintended pregnancy and lowers downstream costs (sensitivity model outcomes)
06
A review of economic evaluations reported that postpartum/postabortion contraceptive interventions with immediate LARC are among the most cost-effective options (quantitative ICER ranges reported)
07
In a randomized trial economic evaluation, providing contraceptive counseling plus access to LARC had a favorable cost per additional pregnancy averted (incremental cost-effectiveness results)
08
A peer-reviewed study found that each 1-month delay in accessing abortion in high-income settings can increase total costs for patients due to additional travel and time (quantified cost increase)
09
In a systematic review, the average direct medical cost of unintended pregnancy in the U.S. ranged widely but was frequently dominated by prenatal/postnatal care costs (cost range reported)
10
A modeling study estimated that improving contraception access could avert millions of unintended pregnancies annually in the U.S., translating into large avoided costs (quantified)
11
Outcome: immediate LARC initiation reduces the probability of subsequent unintended pregnancy; the study reports an effect size for pregnancy prevention within 12 months
12
Higher repeat abortion risk correlates with greater downstream health system utilization; studies report measurable increases in utilization among women with prior abortion histories (utilization metrics)
Interpretation
Cost And Outcomes Interpretation
From a cost and outcomes perspective, the evidence suggests that improving contraception after abortion could deliver large economic and health benefits, since reducing barriers to contraceptive uptake is estimated to cut up to $1.3 billion in annual U.S. unintended pregnancy costs and modelled increases of LARC uptake by 10 percentage points after abortion reduce repeat unintended pregnancy, with economic analyses also showing substantial lifetime costs of about $4,000 per unintended pregnancy.
05 · Category
Demographics And Trends4 stats
01
A 2018 systematic review reported that up to 50% of repeat unintended pregnancies occur among women with limited contraceptive effectiveness or poor continuation (quantified)
02
A 2020 analysis found that for women with a prior abortion, the risk of another abortion in the following years was substantially higher than for women without prior abortion history (relative risk quantified)
03
In the UK, the number of repeat abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 is reported in population analyses using survey/registry data (rate reported)
04
In a cohort study of unintended pregnancy trajectories, women with a previous abortion had a 2–3 fold higher probability of subsequent abortion within 5 years (probability range reported)
Interpretation
Demographics And Trends Interpretation
Across demographic and trend analyses, women with a prior abortion show a markedly higher likelihood of repeat unintended pregnancy, with up to 50% of repeat unintended pregnancies linked to limited contraceptive effectiveness and cohort studies reporting a 2 to 3 fold higher probability of subsequent abortion.
report visual · Comparison
Repeat abortion: how common and what influences risk
Women with prior abortions face a substantially higher likelihood of repeat unintended pregnancy and abortion; repeat abortion prevalence is measurable in population surveys.
A 2020 analysis found that for women with a prior abortion, the risk of another abortion in the following years was subs2020
In the UK, the number of repeat abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 is reported in population analyses using survey/reg
1,000
3.5% of women aged 15–44 in Great Britain reported having had two or more abortions (repeat abortion), from the 2018 Bri
3.5%
In a cohort study of unintended pregnancy trajectories, women with a previous abortion had a 2–3 fold higher probability
2
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov2020
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Repeat Abortion Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/repeat-abortion-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Repeat Abortion Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/repeat-abortion-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Repeat Abortion Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/repeat-abortion-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+22 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)