The Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) is to investigate the drop in the number of women giving Irish addresses at British abortion clinics.
Publishing the agency's annual report today, CPA chair Olive Braiden said: "It is heartening to see a decrease in the numbers of women giving Irish addresses at UK clinics, but we should keep in mind that women could be travelling to other EU countries. This is something that the agency plans to look at later in the year."
women do take their financial situation and supports into account when deciding how to deal with a crisis pregnancyOlive Braiden, Crisis Pregnancy Agency
Recent figures reveal the number of women giving Irish addresses in British clinics has fallen from 6,673 in 2001 to 5,585 last year.
It is believed that the true number of abortions carried out on Irish women may be higher, however, as some women do not give Irish addresses or provide false addresses.
A drop in the number of teenage girls giving birth in the State was also welcomed by the CPA. The number has fallen by 660 since 2001 to a total of 2,427 last year.
More than 86,000 requests for information were received last year by a text message service aimed at helping women in crisis pregnancies.
In addition, the Positive Options website providing information for women in such situations had nearly 21,000 visits. The agency distributed 50,000 leaflets, 3,400 cards and 240 posters during 2005.
It spent just over €4 million funding over 60 projects last year, including grants to agencies for crisis pregnancy counselling.
Also during the year, the agency produced a leaflet on contraception and sexual health for women aged 35 to 55.
Research has found that women in this age group become pregnant because they fail to use contraception, believing their fertility is low or that they have been through the menopause, the CPA said.
Olive Braiden said the body's pregnancy counselling services had expanded from an initial six agencies to 13.
She welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Finance of the new Childcare Strategy, and particularly the new Childcare Investment Programme.
"Our research shows that women do take their financial situation and supports into account when deciding how to deal with a crisis pregnancy," she said.
However, Ms Braiden also noted that poverty is still "a real possibility" for women who become mothers in their teenage years or before they have finished their education.