Impact of COVID-19 on termination of pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on termination of pregnancy. Methods: This was a retrospective study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on termination of pregnancy in a single center in Italy. Consecutive data on pregnant women who requested induced termination of pregnancy (I-TOP) from February 2018 to December 2021 were included in a dedicated database. The data were divided into two groups according to the COVID-19 outbreak. Women who requested ITOP from February 2018 to January 2020 were included into the group ‘before COVID-19 pandemic’. Women who requested I-TOP from February 2020 to January 2022 were included into the group ‘during COVID-19 pandemic’. Indications for I-TOP included elective abortion and therapeutic for fetal or maternal indication. Results: A total of 2578 women were included in the study. Of them, 1637 had I-TOP before COVID-19, and 941 had I-TOP during COVID19. During the pandemic, the request for elective abortion decreased from 76.2% to 67.7% (p