Pregnancy Termination Among Women of Reproductive Age: Evidence from the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey

The consequences associated with pregnancy termination have garnered attention from healthcare professionals, particularly in Indonesia. However, national-level evidence on the factors driving pregnancy termination in Indonesia remains limited. This research aimed to identify patterns and characteristics associated with pregnancy termination among reproductive-age women in Indonesia. A cross-sectional study analyzed secondary data from the 2012 and 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey, involving women aged 15–49. The weighted sample included 42,269 individuals in 2012 and 47,001 in 2017. Binary logistic regression identified the correlates of pregnancy termination. Among 89,270 women of reproductive age, the prevalence of pregnancy termination was 12.68% in 2012 and 12.95% in 2017. Pregnancy termination was more frequently reported among women aged 44–49 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.54–5.33), those with secondary education (AOR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.14–1.46), married women (AOR: 195.40, 95% CI: 114.70–332.90), employed women (AOR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.00–1.09), individuals with health insurance (AOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.11), those who had experienced domestic violence (AOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.11), and regular television viewers (AOR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05–1.15). Conversely, pregnancy termination was less commonly reported among women with 1–2 living children (AOR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.74–0.87), those who expressed no preference for having more children (AOR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84–0.94), and women using modern contraception (AOR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.72–0.80). The findings revealed that the prevalence did not observe any changes in the incidence of pregnancy terminations between 2012 and 2017. Further evaluation by healthcare professionals is crucial to understanding the reasons behind pregnancy termination, especially among women of reproductive age. Insights into factors related to pregnancy termination, especially sociodemographic factors, can help mitigate the pregnancy termination in this population.