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Background: Unintended pregnancy is a global public health issue with significant adverse effects which include health and economic consequences. Globally, there were 121 million unintended pregnancies annually between 2015 and 2019 among women of reproductive age between 15 and 49 mainly due to the non-uptake of modern contraceptives, harmful norms, stigma and lack of sexual and reproductive health care and information. Methods: We extracted information from the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey conducted in 2008, 2013, and 2018 to assess the trends and factors associated with unintended pregnancies among women of reproductive-aged 15–49. The descriptive summaries were presented using percentages and binomial logistic regressions for the inferential analysis. All analyses were computed using Stata 15.0 at a 5% level of significance and accounted for the complex survey nature as well as the population size. Results: The study included a total of 63,040 women of reproductive age. The prevalence of unintended pregnancy was highest among adolescents aged 15–19 years (15.1%, 95% CI: 13.9–16.5) and decreased with increasing age. The pooled adjusted model revealed that women had 11% lower odds of reporting unintended pregnancies in 2013 compared to 2008. Adolescent girls (aOR 2.48; 95%CI: 2.14–2.89) and young adults (aOR 1.86; 95%CI: 1.69–2.04) have higher odds of reporting unintended pregnancies compared to older women. Also, unmarried women had 9.8 times higher odds of reporting unintended pregnancies compared to ever-married women. Conclusions: The findings from this study highlight the need for further family planning educational programs and initiatives that support the uptake of effective contraceptive methods to reduce the likelihood of unintended pregnancy and improve women's sexual and reproductive health while considering regional variations within the country to ensure tailored interventions that address specific needs within each region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Psychiatric disorders are a significant health concern during the perinatal period. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and their associated factors during pregnancy. Methods: All pregnant women who presented to Kafkas University gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinic for examination between February 4 and May 4, 2019, and consented to participate in this study were included. This study employed the General Health Questionnaire, sociodemographic characteristics of the pregnant women, and perceived health status. Results: Notably, 190 (45.6%) of pregnant women had psychiatric symptoms. Regarding the risk factors, they were 1.920 times more in pregnant women living in the villages or towns than those living in cities or city centers (95% CI: 1.224-3.014); 1.986 times more in unemployed pregnant women than those with a steady income (95% CI: 1.139-3.461); 0.469 times more in those who desired the pregnancy than those with undesired pregnancy (95% CI: 0.261-0.844); 1.650 times more in first pregnancies than those with more than two pregnancies (95% CI: 1.069-2.548). Conclusion: Pregnant women living in rural areas like villages or towns, those unemployed and pregnant for the first time, were determined to be at high risk for psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, physicians at primary healthcare institutions should be periodically trained regarding perinatal psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Women facing problematic pregnancies, defined as "unplanned, mistimed, unwanted, or otherwise difficult," either have abortions or make adjustments to welcome these pregnancies. These adjustments are understudied. Pregnancy resource centers that provide counseling and services to assist in the process of welcoming pregnancies have been the focus of controversy due to their refusal to counsel or refer for abortions. This survey of a national population of women seeks to quantify changes in attitudes toward problematic pregnancies that are not aborted and to gauge levels of contact with pregnancy help centers and perceptions of harm or benefits attributed to those contacts. Methodology A national research firm was enlisted to obtain 1,000 surveys completed by female residents of the United States aged 41-45, inclusive. Women reporting a history of abortion were surveyed along one path. For those who did not have abortions but reported a problematic pregnancy, questions were presented to assess changes in attitude toward their pregnancy from the date they first learned they were pregnant to 90 days later, their considerations of abortion, whether they had contact with a pregnancy help center, and their assessment of that contact on either harming or improving their lives. Results Among 275 respondents who had no history of abortion but had ultimately welcomed a problematic pregnancy, 112 (40.7%) had been at higher risk of abortion. Positive attitudes toward their pregnancies increased most rapidly for women who had been at higher risk of abortion but were lower on the day they first learned they were pregnant. Overall, 34 (12.4%) reported they had contacted a pregnancy help center that did not refer for abortions. Another 37 (13.5%) were uncertain if they had contacted an organization fitting that description. Both groups reported the contact improved their lives, on average. Negative assessments were uncommon and all were of a small degree. Conclusions Women facing problematic pregnancies who did not choose abortion experienced rapid improvements in feelings of wantedness, timeliness, acceptance, welcoming, and desirability toward the pregnancy. The rate of improvement was most rapid among those who had investigated and considered abortion. Women reporting contact with pregnancy help centers almost always assess it as having improved their lives., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Sterling Institutional Review Board issued approval 10225. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: Charlotte Lozier Institute. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: The author is an advocate for post-abortion counseling programs for women seeking help after unwanted or coerced abortions., (Copyright © 2024, Reardon et al.)

Introduction: Sexual violence plays a key role in women's pregnancy intention. We investigated the influence of sexual violence on planned, mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Materials and methods: Data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 22 countries in SSA were used in this study. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. We carried out a multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine the effect of sexual violence on planned, mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies. STATA version 14.2 was used to carry out all analyses. Statistical significance was declared at p

Abstract Objective Previous research indicates that attitudes to pregnancy and motherhood are influenced by social values, culture and religion. This study explores the relationship between social support and unwanted pregnancy among Pakistani women. This cross-sectional study was conducted at four teaching hospitals in Lahore in 2014. Results A total of 500 pregnant women who visited the hospitals’ obstetrics and gynecology departments were asked to respond to a questionnaire consisting of respondents’ characteristics and the Social Provisions Scale (SPS). Logistic regression analyzed the predictors of unplanned pregnancy. Unwanted pregnancies were more likely to occur among pregnant women from rural areas, with low scores on the SPS ‘reassurance of worth’ sub-scale, no history of contraceptive use, and who already had at least one son than those with no sons.

Opportunities for young girls in sexual health education is being discriminated against because there are beliefs that girls that know too much can become wayward. Adolescent girls are faced with so many challenges ranging from cultural and parental pressures. This study sought to evaluate the access to health information and family influence on reproductive health literacy amongst adolescent girls. The sample size comprised two hundred and fifty females (n-250) students selected through purposive sampling method. The research instrument is a self-developed structured and validated questionnaire while descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages was used to analyze the responses. Two hypotheses were postulated. Findings showed that access to health information regarding reproductive health is limited and also family influence reproductive health literacy. The study therefore recommends that parents should educate their young daughters about family planning method and teachers should take out time from their allotted schedule to discuss sexual related issues with the adolescents in the school.

Background & aim: Despite the success of family planning programs in Iran in the recent decades, considerable proportions of pregnancies are still unintended and can be a cause of poor mental and physical health of the mother and child. The aim of this study was to investigate some important factors affecting uplanned pregnancies among married women in Semnan province, one of the developed provinces of Iran with below replacement fertility level. Methods: The data for this study were drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Semnan province in 2014. A total of 363 married women within the age range of 15-49 years who were pregnant or had the history of at least one delivery were considered. The study sample was selected using multi-stage stratified sampling method. The data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire with 90 items and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.88. Data analysis was performed in SPSS (version 20) using Crammer’s V coefficients and Chi-square tests. Logistic regression analysis was also applied to model the risk of unintended pregnancies based on selected covariates. Results: According to the results, around 18.2% of the pregnancies were unplanned, 7.7% and 10.5% of which were mistimed and unwanted, respectively. Based on the logistic regression analysis, birth cohort, number of children ever born, and contraceptive methods had significant effects on the risk of unintended pregnancies. Furthermore, about 48% of the women experiencing unintended pregnancy were using a traditional contraceptive method before or at the time of the conception. Conclusion: As the findings indicated, the women who used contraceptive method, as well as those with higher number of children and younger birth cohorts had higher risk of unplanned pregnancies. It should be noted that the majority of unplanned pregnancies among the women in younger birth cohort were mistimed pregnancies. So it is recommended to continue offering family planning and health services to these women in order to prevent unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and many chronic diseases.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies are two major public health problems. The male condom reduces the risks while as people acquire more experience and knowledge of their correct and consistent use. MATERIAL AND METHOD: An observational, analytical, transversal and prospective study was done. The type of sample was by conglomerates, selecting 9 groups of high school students. A questionnaire called "knowledge of the correct use of masculine condoms" was applied to these students. RESULTS: There were included 201 students, from which 105 were men. The mean age was 16 years old; 191 were single, 4 were married and 6 lived in free union. Results showed that less than a half of the people has a correct knowledge of the use of the masculine condom whether of their sex or marital status. CONCLUSION: Despite of the information given constantly by diverse media, professionals in health and academic institutions, a very low percentage of subjects have knowledge about the correct use of the male condom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aim: Unwanted pregnancy is one of the most important causes of mother and child mortality. It may end up to illegal abortion and result in inevitable physical and psychological consequences. This study aimed to determine the correlates of unwanted pregnancy among pregnant women attending medical and health centers in Semnan. Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 229 pregnant women using random sampling. Women with at least one alive child were recruited. Data were gathered using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive; analytical statistical tests. Results: The mean age was 30.7. The mean age at marriage was 19.7. Of all women, 32.3% had unwanted pregnancy. The results showed that there were significant relationships between age of marriage (P

STUDY QUESTION: What is the contribution of the underuse of modern methods (MM) of contraception to the annual undesired pregnancies in 35 low- and middle-income countries? SUMMARY ANSWER: Fifteen million out of 16.7 million undesired pregnancies occurring annually in 35 countries could have been prevented with the optimal use of MM of contraception. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Every year, 87 million women worldwide become pregnant unintentionally because of the underuse of MM of contraception. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Demographic and health surveys (DHS) of 35 countries, conducted between 2005 and 2012, were analysed. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Contraceptive use of 12 874 unintentionally pregnant women was compared with 111 301 sexually active women who were neither pregnant nor desiring pregnancy. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: An average of 96% of 15-to 49-year-old eligible women took part in the survey. When adjusted for covariates and compared with the use of MM of contraception, the use of traditional methods was associated with a 2.7 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.3 -3.4] times increase in odds of an undesired pregnancy, while non-use of any method was associated with a 14.3 (95% CI, 12.3- 16.7) times increase. This corresponded to an estimated 16.7 million undesired pregnancies occurring annually in the 35 countries, of which 15.0 million could have been prevented with the optimal use of MM of contraception (13.5 million women did not use MM whilst 1.5 million women utilized MM incorrectly). Women with the lowest educational attainment and wealth quintile were 8.6 (95% CI: 8.2-9.1) and 2.6 (95% CI: 2.4-2.9) times less likely to use contraceptives compared with those with the highest level of each, respectively. Of the 14 893 women who neither desired pregnancy nor used contraception, 5559 (37.3%) cited fear of side effects and health concerns as the reason for non-use, 3331 (22.4%) cited they or their partner's opposition to contraception or religious prohibition and 2620 (17.6%) underestimated the risk of pregnancy. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Despite the fact that DHS are considered high-quality studies, we should not underestimate the role played by recall bias for past pregnancies. Few women report a current pregnancy in the first trimester and undesired pregnancies at that time are probably prone to under-reporting. Some terminated pregnancies may not be included in the current pregnancy group. Furthermore, covariates measured at the time of the survey may not have reflected the same covariates at the time the currently pregnant women became pregnant. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Underuse of MM of contraception burdens especially the poor and the less educated. National strategies should address unfounded health concerns, fear of side effects, opposition and underestimated risk of pregnancy, which are major contributors to undesired pregnancies. FUNDING/CONFLICT(S) OF INTEREST: NO external funding was utilized for this report. There are no conflicts of interest to declare. Keywords: unwanted pregnancies / family planning / demographic health surveys / side effects / low- and middle-income countries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to describe the extent of sexual activity in adolescent school girls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with prolective collection of data carried out at Lycée General Leclerc, Yaounde (Cameroon), from October 1 to November 30, 2011. Heterosexual coitus was considered as sexual activity. A pretested selfadministered questionnaire was proposed to all consenting girl students aged 10 to 19 years. The data were analyzed using Epi Info 3.2.1 and Microsoft Excel 2007 software. Results: Of the 2660 students who responded to the questionnaire, 21.3% (566) admitted being sexually active. Out of these, 64.3% (364) were aged between 10 and 16 years at their first heterosexual contact. The mean age at the first sexual intercourse was 15.3 years. Although 56.4% (319) of the sexually active respondents had only one sexual partner, 43.6% (247) of them had at least two partners. Sexual activity was occasional in 71.4% of those being sexually active. Meanwhile, 52.1% (295) of the sexually active adolescent girls used condoms during sexual intercourse, 41.5% (235) did so occasionally, and 6.4% (36) had regular unprotected sex. Conclusion: More than one-fifth of adolescent girls were sexually active in this study. Sexual intercourse started mostly at the age of 16 or less, and it was mostly occasional. Half of the cases had multiple sexual partners, and half were not using condoms during sexual intercourse. We, thus, recommend the implementation of interventions aimed at delaying the age of the first sexual intercourse and accessibility of condoms to students in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The fight against maternal deaths has gained attention as the target date for Millennium Development Goal 5 approaches. Induced-abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in developing countries which hamper this effort. In Ghana, alcohol consumption and unwanted pregnancies are on the ascendancy. We examined the association between alcohol consumption and maternal mortality from induced-abortion. We further analyzed the factors that lie behind the alcohol consumption patterns in the study population. Method: The data we used was extracted from the Ghana Maternal Health Survey 2007. This was a national survey conducted across the 10 administrative regions of Ghana. The survey identified 4203 female deaths through verbal autopsy, among which 605 were maternal deaths in the 12 to 49 year-old age group. Analysis was done using Statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 20. A case control study design was used. Cross-tabulations and logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between the different variables. Results: Alcohol consumption was significantly associated with abortion-related maternal deaths. Women who had ever consumed alcohol (OR adjusted 2.6, 95% CI 1.38-4.87), frequent consumers (OR adjusted 2.6, 95% CI 0.89-7.40) and occasional consumers (OR adjusted 2.7, 95% CI 1.29-5.46) were about three times as likely to die from abortion-related causes compared to those who abstained from alcohol. Maternal age, marital status and educational level were found to have a confounding effect on the observed association. Conclusion: Policy actions directed toward reducing abortion-related deaths should consider alcohol consumption, especially among younger women. Policy makers in Ghana should consider increasing the legal age for alcohol consumption. We suggest that information on the health risks posed by alcohol and abortion be disseminated to communities in the informal sector where vulnerable groups can best be reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research on the consequences of unwanted pregnancies can offer useful perspectives on the need to improve and expand the range of family planning options available to women in developing countries. This paper investigates the use of maternal and child health services by women who have unwanted or mistimed pregnancies. The results of our analysis indicate that wantedness of births exerts a significant influence on health care use in Thailand, after controlling for other determinants of utilization. Women with unwanted pregnancies are less likely to seek prenatal care or receive tetanus toxide inoculations. Further, women from disadvantaged socioeconomic groups, women with high parity and those with lower educational levels have the highest proportion of unintended pregnancies. The study concludes by making suitable policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sexual violence plays a key role in women's pregnancy intention. We investigated the influence of sexual violence on planned, mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)., Materials and Methods: Data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 22 countries in SSA were used in this study. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. We carried out a multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine the effect of sexual violence on planned, mistimed, and unwanted pregnancies. STATA version 14.2 was used to carry out all analyses. Statistical significance was declared at p<0.05., Results: At the descriptive level, we found that 74.1% of women of reproductive age in SSA had planned pregnancies, with the remaining 25.9% having either mistimed (20.4%) or unwanted (5.5%) pregnancies. Women in Nigeria had the lowest proportion of mistimed pregnancies (7.5%) whereas those in Burundi had the greatest percentage of unwanted pregnancies (12.4%). Women who had history of sexual violence had increased risk of mistimed [ARRR = 1.5, CI = 1.3-1.7] and unwanted pregnancies [ARRR = 1.6, CI = 1.3-2.0], compared to those with no history of sexual violence. Women aged 40-44 [ARRR = 3.3, CI = 1.4-7.6] and 45-49 [ARRR = 4.4, CI = 1.7-11.2] had higher risk of unwanted pregnancies, compared to women aged 15-19. Women who were cohabiting had higher risk of mistimed [ARRR = 1.3, CI = 1.1-1.4] and unwanted pregnancies [ARRR = 1.6, CI = 1.3-2.1], compared to married women., Conclusion: Sexual violence plays a key role in mistimed and unwanted pregnancies. It is, therefore, prudent to develop various assessment techniques to detect sexual violence in unions and refer victims to appropriate services to diminish the risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies. Our findings provide a basis for developing and implementing policies and interventions aimed at reducing mistimed and unwanted pregnancies., (© 2020 The Authors.)

The perspectives of at-risk adolescent clients can play an important role in informing treatment services. The current study examines qualitative interview data from 15 young women with histories of maltreatment. Using a semi-structured qualitative interview approach, we asked the women to think retrospectively about their treatment experiences as adolescent girls. Results highlight the need for providing adolescent girls with reliable and practical information about risky sexual behavior and drug use from relatable and trustworthy helping professionals. We discuss strategies for developing and maintaining trust and delivering specific content., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background & Aim: Unwanted pregnancy is one of the most important causes of mother and child mortality. It may end up to illegal abortion and result in inevitable physical and psychological consequences. This study aimed to determine the correlates of unwanted pregnancy among pregnant women attending medical and health centers in Semnan. Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 229 pregnant women using random sampling. Women with at least one alive child were recruited. Data were gathered using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive& analytical statistical tests. Results: The mean age was 30.7. The mean age at marriage was 19.7. Of all women, 32.3% had unwanted pregnancy. The results showed that there were significant relationships between age of marriage (P<0.05), current age of women (P<0.05), level of education (P<0.05), No. of children (P<0.01), employment (P<0.05), and income (P<0.01) with unwanted pregnancy. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of unwanted pregnancy was high in the studied population. Educational programs regarding correct methods of contraceptive usages are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]