Background: To explore the extent to which women's general involvement in household decision-making might correlate with more specific decisions about reproductive outcomes, we use recent nationally representative data to explore the relationship between marital characteristics and pregnancy termination (PT) among married women in Vietnam.

Methods: The study includes a sample of 4511 currently married, fecund, unsterilized women interviewed as part of the Vietnamese 2002 Demographic and Health Survey (VNDHS 2002). VNDHS 2002 is a nationally representative sample survey including detailed information on fertility, family planning, pregnancy outcomes, child mortality, and maternal and child health. It also includes a number of questions about the husband and wife relationship.

Results: Around 35% of respondents experienced PT. Adjusting for socio-demographic factors, multivariate logistic regression indicates that women's power in deciding household expenditures (OR=1.24, P<0.05); discussion of family planning with the husband (OR=1.60, P<0.001); older age (OR=1.06, P<0.001), and older age at first birth (OR=1.07, P<0.05); and use of traditional contraceptive methods (OR=1.37, P<0.05) all significantly increase the likelihood of PT. Women's approval for family planning (OR=0.55, P<0.01); larger household size (OR=0.95, P<0.05); older age at first marriage (OR=0.90, P<0.01); rural residence (OR=0.75, P<0.01); and Buddhist religion (OR=0.78, P<0.1) all lower the likelihood of having PT.

Conclusions: Women who are involved in household decision-making are more likely to experience PT than women who are not. Increasing power of women in the household in this setting appears to make available a wider range of reproductive choices than would otherwise be available.