Acceptance of Early Abortion Services in Primary Care Settings: A Comparison of Abortion Clinic and Family Medicine Patients in Chicago

Current rates show that 1 in 3 women will have at least one abortion by the age of 45. The majority of these occur in the first trimester, a safe procedure that is often learned in most OB/GYN and some family medicine residencies. Nonetheless, most women must seek this service at a free-standing abortion clinic. To our knowledge, there are no studies describing women's opinions of their doctors offering pregnancy termination services. This study surveyed 250 women of reproductive age in a Chicago abortion clinic and in a family medicine center using a convenience sample. The survey included open- and closed-ended questions to determine women's perspectives of their primary care physician (PCP) or clinic offering early pregnancy termination services and where the respondent would go for their abortion if they had the option of their PCP or an abortion clinic. Preliminary results show that approximately 65% of women surveyed in both settings believe that their doctor or clinic should offer both medical and surgical abortion. Also, a majority of women stated that if they were seeking an abortion they would prefer to go to their PCP. The major mediators of these beliefs are a woman's comfort with her doctor, age and education. When asked why a woman would prefer to go to her doctor instead of an abortion clinic, common answers included- feeling more comfortable with your doctor and your doctor knows your medical history and your body. This is important information for clinicians and administrators deciding on offering this medical service within their office.