Intimate Partner Violence and Women’s Health and Empowerment among Menstrual Regulation and Postabortion Care Clients in Bangladesh

Erin Pearson, Johns Hopkins University
Kathryn Andersen, Ipas
Rezwana Chowdhury, Ipas
Sharmin Sultana, Ipas
S. M. Shahidullah, Ipas
Michele Decker, Johns Hopkins University

Intimate partner violence (IPV) negatively impacts women’s health and well-being. An estimated 50-60% of Bangladeshi women have ever experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, and 30% have experienced such violence in the past year. The present study assesses the association between experience of past year IPV and reproductive health and empowerment outcomes among a facility-based sample of 458 uterine evacuation clients in Bangladesh. Over 25% of women in the sample experienced past year IPV. IPV was associated with a higher odds of care for complications of illegal abortion (AOR=2.08) and of seeking medication abortion (AOR=2.17), which can be used covertly. IPV was also associated with religious and family opposition to family planning use (AOR=2.38 and AOR=5.72, respectively), and lack of women’s involvement in decision-making regarding her health care. IPV was common in this sample, and was associated with constrained access to family planning including legal abortion.