The increase in the number of voluntary terminations of pregnancy (VTP) observed in 2022 continued in 2023, after a marked drop during Covid, according to a study published on Wednesday, the day before World Contraception Day.
In total, 243,623 IVGs were recorded in France, i.e. 8,600 more than in 2022, specifies this study carried out by the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees).
The increase in the number of IVGs observed in 2022 therefore continues, after the sharp drop in 2020 and 2021 linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2023, the rate of recourse to IVG will reach 16.8 IVGs per 1,000 women aged 15 to 49 in 2023, compared to 16.4 per 1,000 in 2021 and 15.1 per 1,000 in 2020.
Between 2022 and 2023, the rates of recourse increase for all age groups among adult women, with a more marked increase for 20-34 year-olds, where IVGs remain the most frequent.
Territorial disparities are marked since the rates of recourse vary by a ratio of one to four between the Pays de la Loire and Guyana.
In 2023, 41% of IVGs were carried out outside of healthcare establishments.
From 2005, medical abortions were authorized in the city, then in health centers and sexual health centers, recalls the Drees.
The medical method represents 79% of all IVGs: 48% of these IVGs took place in a health establishment, 46% in a private practice and the remaining 6% in a health or sexual health center.
In 2023, 3,170 healthcare professionals working in city practices performed IVGs. In three years, the number of these professionals, mainly midwives and general practitioners, increased by 814, specifies the Drees.
The two-week extension (from 12 to 14) of the legal appeal period, provided for in the March 2022 law, affected 2.5% of IVGs in healthcare establishments. In these establishments, three out of four IVGs took place between 5 and 9 weeks of amenorrhea.
