OBJECTIVES: Unintended pregnancies constitute a global problem associated with substantial health care costs. In Canada, approximately 22% of all pregnancies will lead to an abortion, with a higher rate (52%) in women under 20. As leading causes of unintended pregnancies are closely related to the contraceptive method chosen, the objective of this study was to analyze utilization of contraceptives in women who had an abortion. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a random sample from the Régie de l’assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ) prescriptions and medical services databases. Inclusion criteria were: women who had an abortion at less than 14 weeks between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 and who were continuously enrolled 12 months pre- and post-abortion. Claims for contraceptives were analyzed in the year preceding and following the abortion. RESULTS: Of the 7397 women included for analysis, 67.8% were between 15 and 29 years old. Approximately 30.2% filled at least one prescription for a contraceptive in the year preceding the abortion; 82.9% of claims were oral contraceptives. In the year after abortion, the usage of contraceptives increased to 54.3%. Utilization of a long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) increased after abortion. Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (IUS) was inserted on the day of the abortion in 7.5% of women. Within one month of abortion, 47% of women claimed for oral contraceptives, 27% for Levonorgestrel IUS, 12% for transdermal patches, 8% for vaginal rings and 6% for depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate. CONCLUSIONS: The data showed that the utilization of contraception increased after an abortion. A valuable benefit of LARCs is that their effectiveness does not rely on continuous user compliance, which could help explain the increased utilization of these methods after an abortion. However, the utilization of LARCs remains low which may indicate an unmet need for a greater variety of LARC options.