Differences in reproductive patterns between autochthonous and immigrant women living in Catalonia, Spain

To describe differences in reproductive patterns between autochthonous and immigrant women living in Catalonia (Spain). Data on legal abortions were obtained from the abortions register in the Regional Ministry of Health, while data on births and the population were drawn from the Institute of Statistics of Catalonia. Depending on the source, the variables or were used to compose the groups. Rates of fertility and abortion by age were computed for 2005 and the women's sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed. A total of 20.8% of the 79,504 births and 37.8% of the 16,798 abortions involved immigrant women, while 14.2% of pregnancies in autochthonous women and 27.7% of those in immigrant women terminated in abortion. Crude fertility and abortion rates were 1.4 and 3 times higher, respectively, in immigrant women. There are important differences in abortion and fertility rates, as well as in social and demographic patterns, between autochthonous and immigrant women.