“Having Another Child Would Be a Life or Death Situation for Her”: Understanding Pregnancy Termination Among Couples in Rural Bangladesh

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a mixed-method study in rural southwestern Bangladesh, a country in which an estimated 730,000 elective pregnancy terminations occur each year, to explore women's and couples' motivations to terminate pregnancies. METHODS: Quantitative data derived from a 1998 cross-sectional survey and a longitudinal demographic surveillance system (1998-2003) were combined with qualitative data gathered through 84 in-depth interviews conducted with 19 couples during 2004-2005. RESULTS: Quantitative results indicated that 11% of couples reported a pregnancy termination in the study period; the rate was highest among couples who reported in 1998 that they wanted no more children (29%). Both wives' and husbands' fertility preferences independently and significantly predicted pregnancy termination. Qualitative findings showed that more than half of the participants had…