Multiple abortions rise in China as women unaware of contraception

Beijing: Only 12 percent of Chinese women fully understand the methods of contraception, and the lack of awareness has brought about a high rate of multiple abortions, according to a survey released Wednesday. The survey of 1,000 Chinese women aged 20 to 35 was conducted as part of the World Contraception Day, which falls on 26 September every year, the China Daily reported. Women in the country also overrated the efficiency of withdrawal, periodic abstinence and emergency contraceptive pills, the survey showed. From 33 percent to 68 percent of the women surveyed believed one of those three methods were “effective”. But the failure rate of those methods were up to 27 percent, said Wu Shangchun, a researcher with the National Population and Family Planning Commission. [caption id=“attachment_469420” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image for representational purpose only. Reuters[/caption] “Periodic abstinence is unreliable because the time of ovulation can change and eludes prediction, and couples sometimes do not abstain from sex during that period,” she said. The survey indicates misunderstandings about are largely rooted in the lack of quality and authoritative sources, Wu said. “TV seldom airs programmes on contraception. Papers and magazines publish relatively more articles. Such information is most available on the internet. However, the online information varies in quality, and it’s necessary to publish such information through an authoritative channel,” she said. Such a lack of awareness has brought about a high rate of multiple abortions. “About 50 percent of the women getting abortions in China every year have had abortions before,” she said. Zhang Hanxiang, director of the China Population Communication Centre, said people also don’t have knowledge about other contraceptive methods like intrauterine devices and and the use of condoms. He said teenagers are exposed to high risks of unwanted pregnancy. They also rely on emergency contraceptive pills to avoid getting pregnant. But such pills contain progestational hormones, which can cause harm to a woman if used regularly, he said. Contraceptive pills sometimes also increase the risk of a blood clot forming, said Wu. IANS