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{{short description|Pregnancy that is mistimed, unplanned or unwanted at the time of conception}}
'''Unintended pregnancies''' are those in which [[human fertilization|conception]] was not intended by the female [[sexual partner]]. Worldwide, 38% of [[pregnancy|pregnancies]] were unintended in 1999 (some 80 million unintended pregnancies in 1999).<ref name=speidel /><ref name=sharing /> Unintended pregnancies are the primary cause of induced [[abortion]],<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 50 --> resulting in about 42 million induced abortions per year.<ref name=speidel /> Unintended pregnancy is also linked to higher rates of [[maternal death|maternal]] and [[infant mortality|infant]] deaths.
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'''Unintended pregnancies''' are [[pregnancy|pregnancies]] that are mistimed or unwanted at the time of [[Human fertilization|conception]],<ref name="Unintended Pregnancy">{{cite web |title=Unintended Pregnancy |url=https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/unintendedpregnancy/index.htm |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=November 13, 2013}}</ref> also known as unplanned pregnancies.<ref>{{Cite web | work = Healthdirect Australia |date=2023-10-17 |title=Making decisions about unplanned pregnancies |url=https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/making-decisions-about-pregnancy |access-date=2024-04-29 |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Health matters: reproductive health and pregnancy planning |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-reproductive-health-and-pregnancy-planning/health-matters-reproductive-health-and-pregnancy-planning |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>


[[Vaginal sex|Sex]]ual activity without the use of effective [[birth control|contraception]] through choice or coercion is the predominant cause of unintended pregnancy. Worldwide, the unintended pregnancy rate is approximately 45% of all pregnancies (for a total of 120 million unintended pregnancies annually), but rates vary in different geographic areas and among different sociodemographic groups.<ref name="Bearak_2018" />{{ r | UNPF_2022-03-30 }} Unintended pregnancies may be '''unwanted pregnancies''' or '''mistimed pregnancies'''.<ref name="BestIntent">{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/bestintentionsun0000unse |title=The best intentions: unintended pregnancy and the well-being of children and families| vauthors = Eisenberg L, Brown SH |publisher=National Academy Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-309-05230-6 |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=2011-09-03|url-access=registration |page=72}}</ref> While unintended pregnancies are the main reason for induced [[abortion]]s,<ref name="BestIntent" /> unintended pregnancies may also result in other outcomes, such as live births or miscarriages.
The use of modern contraceptive methods has greatly reduced the incidence of unintended pregnancy, particularly in more developed countries. However the United States has an unusually high rate of unintended pregnancy, especially among the poor.


Unintended pregnancy has been linked to numerous poor maternal and child health outcomes, regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 72 --> Efforts to decrease rates of unintended pregnancy have focused on improving access to effective contraception through improved counseling and removing barriers to contraception access.
Unintended pregnancies may arise within a [[committed relationship]], such as [[marriage]], as well as resulting from [[casual sex]]ual activity, or even as a result of [[rape]].


==Family planning==
== Definitions ==
Research on unintended pregnancy rates is challenging, as categorizing a pregnancy as "intended" or "unintended" does not capture the many complex considerations that go into a person's or couple's feelings towards the pregnancy itself or their reproductive plans in general.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /> However, for data collection purposes, an "unintended pregnancy" is defined as a pregnancy that occurs either when a woman wanted to become pregnant in the future but not at the time she became pregnant, or one that occurred when she did not want to become pregnant then or at any time in the future.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019">{{cite web |url= https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/unintended-pregnancy-united-states |title=Unintended Pregnancy in the United States | date=January 2019| work = Guttmacher Institute | access-date = 20 August 2019 }}</ref>
Becoming pregnant and having a baby are major events in a female's life, as well as that of her partner and family. Couples desire to control not just the number of children, but also the timing.<ref name=AGI1999 /> Health outcomes for the child and for the mother are improved by not starting to have children too early, and by allowing adequate spacing between births. Economic and social factors, such as completing education and achieving a level of economic security, also play roles in desires when to have children.


Conversely, an "intended pregnancy" is one that is consciously desired at the time of conception or sooner.<ref name="BestIntent" /><ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /><!-- page 3 --> For research purposes, all pregnancies not explicitly categorized as "unintended" are combined, including those pregnancies where the pregnant woman feels ambivalent or unsure about the pregnancy.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /> Most sources consider only the intentions of the woman when defining whether a pregnancy is unintended, but some sources also consider the intentions of the male partner.<ref name="BestIntent" /><ref name="Guttmacher_2019" />
== Causes ==
* Not using [[contraception]].<ref name=speidel />
* Using contraception inconsistently or incorrectly.<ref name=speidel />
* Contraceptive failure (the method was used correctly, but did not work.)<ref name=speidel /> Accounts for relatively small fraction of unintended pregnancies when modern highly effective contraceptives are used.


Terming a pregnancy "unintended" does not indicate whether or not a pregnancy is welcomed, or what the outcome of the pregnancy is; unintended pregnancies may end in abortion, miscarriage, or birth.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" />
Reasons contraceptives might not have been used or been used incorrectly include:
* Coercion. [[Rape]] or involuntary sex which sometimes happens in the context of [[Domestic violence and pregnancy|domestic violence]]. Unintended pregnancies are more likely to be associated with abuse than intended pregnancies.<ref>J.E. Hathaway, L.A. Mucci and J.G. Silverman et al., Health status and health care use of Massachusetts women reporting partner abuse, Am J Prev Med 19 (2000), pp. 302–307.</ref> This may also include [[birth control sabotage]] - manipulation of someone's use of birth control to undermine efforts to prevent pregnancy.
* Lack of knowledge about sex and reproduction. Including erroneous beliefs.
* Lack of knowledge or experience with the contraceptive, or lack of motivation to use it correctly.
* Lack of planning or ambivalence about whether to have a child.


== Results ==
== Epidemiology ==
=== Global incidence ===
Unintended pregnancies result in poorer outcomes for the mother and for the child, if birth occurs. Unintended pregnancy precludes [[pre-conception counseling]], and [[pre-conception care]], and delays initiation of [[prenatal care]].<ref name=HP2020FP /> The great majority of abortions result from unintended pregnancies.
The global rate of unintended pregnancy was estimated at 44% of all pregnancies between 2010 and 2014, corresponding to approximately 62 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women between the ages of 15–44 years old.<ref name="Bearak_2018">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bearak J, Popinchalk A, Alkema L, Sedgh G | title = Global, regional, and subregional trends in unintended pregnancy and its outcomes from 1990 to 2014: estimates from a Bayesian hierarchical model | journal = The Lancet. Global Health | volume = 6 | issue = 4 | pages = e380–e389 | date = April 2018 | pmid = 29519649 | pmc = 6055480 | doi = 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30029-9 }}</ref> While unintended pregnancy rates have been slowly declining in most areas of the world,<ref name="Bearak_2018" /> different geographic regions have different estimated unintended pregnancy rates.<ref name="Bearak_2018" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/infographic/2018/changes-unintended-pregnancy-rates-world-region|title=Changes in Unintended Pregnancy Rates by World Region | date= 3 May 2018 |website=Guttmacher Institute|access-date= 22 August 2019 }}</ref> Rates tend to be higher in low-income regions in Latin America and Africa, estimated at 96 and 89 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women, respectively, and lower in higher-income regions such as North America and Europe, estimated at 47 and 41 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women, respectively.<ref name="Bearak_2018" /> Unwanted pregnancies continues to be a major public health issue worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The annual number of unwanted pregnancies in Asia is estimated to be 53.8 million. It is estimated that between 2010 and 2014, around 5.4% of Asian women ages 15 to 44 had unintended pregnancies.<ref name="Sarder_2021">{{cite journal | vauthors = Sarder A, Islam SM, Talukder A, Ahammed B | title = Prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its associated factors: Evidence from six south Asian countries | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 16 | issue = 2 | pages = e0245923 | date = 2021-02-01 | pmid = 33524018 | pmc = 7850499 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0245923 | bibcode = 2021PLoSO..1645923S | veditors = Darteh EK | doi-access = free }}</ref>


The [[United Nations Population Fund]], the [[United Nations]] sexual and reproductive health agency, explains that nearly half of all pregnancies, totalling 121 million each year throughout the world, are unintended.<ref name=UNPF_2022-03-30>{{cite web|url=https://www.unfpa.org/press/nearly-half-all-pregnancies-are-unintended-global-crisis-says-new-unfpa-report|title=Nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended—a global crisis, says new UNFPA report | date= 30 March 2022 |website=[[United Nations Population Fund]]|access-date= 20 March 2023 |quote=Five Key Facts from the 2022 SoWP: 1. Every year, almost half of all pregnancies are unintended. Between 2015 and 2019, there were roughly 121 million unintended pregnancies globally each year. }}</ref>
Results of unintended pregnancy include:
* Prenatal care initiate later, and less adequate.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 66 - 68 --> Adversely affects health of woman and of child and less preparation for parenthood.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 66 - 68 --> Delay from unintended pregnancy is in addition to that from other risk factors for delay.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 66 - 68 --> Unwanted pregnancies have more delay than mistimed.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 66 - 68 -->
* Unintended pregnancies preclude chance to resolve [[sexually transmitted diseases]] (STD) before pregnancy.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 119 --> Untreated STD in pregnant woman can result in premature delivery, infection in newborn or infant death.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 120 -->
* Preclude use of genetic testing to help make decisions about whether to become pregnant.


=== Incidence by country/region ===
* Women with an unintended pregnancy are more likely to suffer [[postpartum depression|depression during or after pregnancy]].<ref name=HP2020FP /><ref name=ahrq2011>{{cite journal|title=Providers miss opportunities to prevent depression in and discuss birth control with women with unplanned pregnancies | url = http://www.ahrq.gov/research/aug11/0811RA18.htm | journal = Research Activities | date = August 2011 | page = 15 | publisher = Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality | issue = 372}}</ref>
* Poorer maternal mental health<ref name=HP2020FP />
* Increased risk of physical violence during pregnancy<ref name=HP2020FP>{{cite web | title = Family Planning - Healthy People 2020 | url = http://healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=13 | accessdate = 2011-08-18 | quote =Which cites: * {{cite journal | author = Logan C, Holcombe E, Manlove J, et al. | title = The consequences of unintended childbearing: A white paper | publisher = Washington: Child Trends, Inc. | date = 2007 May [cited 2009 Mar 3] | url = http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2007_05_01_FR_Consequences.pdf}} * {{cite journal| name = Cheng D, Schwarz E, Douglas E, et al. | title = Unintended pregnancy and associated maternal preconception, prenatal and postpartum behaviors | journal = Contraception | date = 2009 Mar | volume = 79 | issue = 3 | page = 194–8}} * {{cite journal | author = Kost K, Landry D, Darroch J. | title = Predicting maternal behaviors during pregnancy: Does intention status matter? | journal = Fam Plann Perspectives | date = 1998 Mar–Apr | volume = 30 | issue = 2 | page = 79–88}} * {{cite journal | author = D’Angelo, D, Colley Gilbert B, Rochat R, et al. | title = Differences between mistimed and unwanted pregnancies among women who have live births | journal = Perspect Sex Reprod Health | date = 2004 Sep–Oct | volume = 36 | issue = 5 | page = 192–7}}
}}</ref>
* Reduced likelihood of [[breastfeeding]], resulting in less healthy children<ref name=HP2020FP />
* Lower mother-child relationship quality<ref name=HP2020FP /> (see also [[Maternal bond]])
* More likely that [[Smoking and pregnancy|mother smokes tobacco]] (about 30% more likely in the US) or drinks during pregnancy.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 68 - 70 --> Which results in poorer health outcomes and additional costs for welfare system.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 68 - 70 --> (see also [[Fetal alcohol syndrome]], [[Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder]])


==== Europe ====
Children whose births were unintended are:
From 1990–1994 to 2010–2014, European rates of unintended pregnancy decreased from approximately 66 such pregnancies per 1000 women ages 15–44 years old to 41.<ref name="Bearak_2018" /> These rates vary between different European countries.


===== Britain =====
* Greater likelihood of low birth weight, particularly for unwanted pregnancies.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 68 - 70 --><ref name="RCRC 2006" /> In US eliminating all unwanted pregnancies would reduce rate of low birth weight by 7% for blacks, and 4% for whites, helping to decrease the large disparity in rates for whites vs. blacks.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 70 - 71 --> May be through increased risk preterm delivery.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 68 - 70 -->
According to a 2013 study approximately 16% of British pregnancies are unplanned, 29% are ambivalent, and 55% are planned.<ref name = "Wellings_2013">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wellings K, Jones KG, Mercer CH, Tanton C, Clifton S, Datta J, Copas AJ, Erens B, Gibson LJ, Macdowall W, Sonnenberg P, Phelps A, Johnson AM | title = The prevalence of unplanned pregnancy and associated factors in Britain: findings from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) | journal = Lancet | volume = 382 | issue = 9907 | pages = 1807–1816 | date = November 2013 | pmid = 24286786 | pmc = 3898922 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62071-1 }}</ref>
* Greater infant mortality.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 72 --><ref name="RCRC 2006" /> If all sexually active couples in the US had routineley used effective contrectiption in 1980, there would have been 1 million fewer abortions, 340,000 fewer live births that were unintended at conception, 5,000 fewer infant deaths, and the infant mortality rate would have been 10% lower.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 72 -->
* likely to be less mentally and physically healthy during childhood,<ref name=Logan2007>{{cite journal | author = Logan C, Holcombe E, Manlove J, et al. | title = The consequences of unintended childbearing: A white paper | publisher = Washington: Child Trends, Inc. | date = 2007 May [cited 2009 Mar 3] | url = http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2007_05_01_FR_Consequences.pdf}}</ref>
* at higher risk of [[child abuse]] and [[child neglect|neglect]],<ref name=BestIntent /><ref>{{cite journal | title = Primary Prevention of Child Abuse | author = Lesa Bethea | year = 1999 | journal = American Family Physician | url = http://www.aafp.org/afp/990315ap/1577.html }}</ref><!-- page 73-4 -->
* less likely to succeed in school,<ref name=Monea2011 />
* more likely to [[Child poverty|live in poverty]],<ref name=Monea2011 />
* more likely to need public assistance,<ref name=Monea2011 />
* more likely to have [[juvenile delinquency|delinquent]] and criminal behavior.<ref name=Monea2011 /> (see also [[Legalized abortion and crime effect]])


===== France =====
Unintended pregnancies lead to higher rates of maternal morbidity, and threaten the economic viability of families.<ref name="RCRC 2006">Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. 2006. ''Religious Support For Family Planning'' (retrieved 16 May 2007).</ref>
In France, 33% of pregnancies are unintended. Of women at risk for unintended pregnancy, only 3% do not use contraception, and 20% use [[intrauterine device]]s (IUDs).<ref name="trussell08">{{cite journal | vauthors = Trussell J, Wynn LL | title = Reducing unintended pregnancy in the United States | journal = Contraception | volume = 77 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–5 | date = January 2008 | pmid = 18082659 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2007.09.001 }}</ref>


===== Sweden =====
Women with unintended pregnancies have less education and participate less in the workforce than women whose pregnancies are intended.<ref name=Monea2011 />
One study from Sweden (2008–2010) showed that the prevalence of unintended pregnancies was 23.2%.<ref name="Lukasse_2015" /> One study conducted in Uppsala (2012–2013) found that 12% of pregnancies were fairly or very unplanned.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Stern J, Salih Joelsson L, Tydén T, Berglund A, Ekstrand M, Hegaard H, Aarts C, Rosenblad A, Larsson M, Kristiansson P | title = Is pregnancy planning associated with background characteristics and pregnancy-planning behavior? | journal = Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica | volume = 95 | issue = 2 | pages = 182–189 | date = February 2016 | pmid = 26566076 | pmc = 4737297 | doi = 10.1111/aogs.12816 }}</ref>


=== Induced abortions ===
===== Russia =====
{{See also|Demographics of Russia}}
{{main|Abortion}}
According to a 2004 study, current pregnancies were termed "desired and timely" by 58% of respondents, while 23% described them as "desired, but untimely", and 19% said they were "undesired".<ref name="UNDP">{{cite report | url = http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/nationalreports/europethecis/russia/NHDR_Russia_2008_Eng.pdf | title =National Human Development Report Russian Federation | date = 2008 | work = [[UNDP]] | pages = 47–49 | access-date = 10 October 2009 }}</ref>


==== Asia ====
A woman who finds herself pregnant may terminate the pregnancy by an [[abortion]].<ref name=BestIntent >{{cite book |author=Eisenberg, Leon; Brown, Sarah Hart |title=The best intentions: unintended pregnancy and the well-being of children and families |publisher=National Academy Press |location=Washington, D.C |year=1995 |pages= |isbn=0-309-05230-0 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=2011-09-03}}</ref><!-- page 51 --> A large proportion of induced abortions worldwide are due to unwanted or mistimed pregnancy.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Bankole et al. | url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2411798.html | title = Reasons Why Women Have Induced Abortions: Evidence from 27 Countries| journal = International Family Planning Perspectives | year = 1998}}</ref><ref name=Finer2005>{{cite journal | author = Lawrence B. Finer, Lori F. Frohwirth, Lindsay A. Dauphinee, Susheela Singh, and Ann M. Moore | url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3711005.pdf | title = Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 37 | issue = 3 | pages = 110–118 | date = September 2005 | doi = 10.1363/3711005 | pmid = 16150658}}</ref>
From 2010–2014, approximately 5.4% of women aged 15–44 years old got pregnant unintentionally, and the number of unintended pregnancies is 53.8 million each year in Asia.<ref name="Sarder_2021" />
Unintended pregnancies result in about 42 million induced [[abortion]]s per year worldwide.<ref name=speidel /> In the United States, over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancy.<ref name=Monea2011 />


===== India =====
Abortion carries few health risks when performed in accordance with modern medical technique.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 51-53 --> It is far safer than child birth.<ref name=BestIntent /> However where safe abortions are not available, abortion can contribute significantly to maternal mortality and morbidity.
India, the number of unintended pregnancies has not changed much or been measured in a specific way in the last ten years.{{As of?|date=March 2023}}<ref name="Sarder_2021" /> In each of the three rounds of the [[National Family Health Survey]]s (NFHS), about a quarter of the women in India had unintended pregnancies.<ref name="Sarder_2021" /> Every year, there are about 121 million or 12.1 crore unintended pregnancies around the world. One of every seven of these happens in India, according to a report from the [[United Nations Population Fund]].<ref>{{Cite web | vauthors = Basu M |date=2022-03-31 |title=Of world's 12.1 cr unplanned pregnancies every year, 1 in 7 occurs in India, says UNFPA report |url=https://theprint.in/health/of-worlds-12-1-cr-unplanned-pregnancies-every-year-1-in-7-occurs-in-india-says-unfpa-report/895320/ |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> India's most populous state, [[Uttar Pradesh]], with a population of about 200 million, has twice as many unwanted births as India as a whole (1.65 vs. 0.80).<ref>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Patel SK, Pradhan MR, Patel S |date=2020-01-17 |title=Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Conditions and Their Association with Selected Diseases in Urban India |journal=Journal of Population and Social Studies |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=103–115 |doi=10.25133/jpssv28n2.007 |issn=2465-4418 |s2cid=213395741 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The level of unmet need for contraception among women in India is consistent with the incidence of unintended pregnancies and the incidence of abortions. These facts highlight the necessity for additional investment to meet the contraceptive needs of women and couples and to ensure access to safe abortion services.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Singh S, Shekhar C, Acharya R, Moore AM, Stillman M, Pradhan MR, Frost JJ, Sahoo H, Alagarajan M, Hussain R, Sundaram A, Vlassoff M, Kalyanwala S, Browne A | title = The incidence of abortion and unintended pregnancy in India, 2015 | language = English | journal = The Lancet. Global Health | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = e111–e120 | date = January 2018 | pmid = 29241602 | pmc = 5953198 | doi = 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30453-9 }}</ref>


==== Africa ====
While decisions about abortion may cause some individuals psychological distress, some find a reduction in distress after abortion.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 53-54 --> There is no evidence of widespread psychological harm from abortion.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 53-54 --><ref name="moreonkoop">{{cite journal |author= |title=More on Koop's study of abortion |journal=Fam Plann Perspect |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=36–9 |year=1990 |pmid=2323405 |doi= 10.2307/2135437|jstor=2135437}}</ref> Unwanted pregnancy and unwanted birth are also psychologically distressing, so considerations of psychological impact of abortion should be in comparison to potential harm from these stressors.
A quarter of unintended pregnancy happens in Africa and the average unintended pregnancy rate in Sub-Saharan Africa is 33.9%.<ref name = "Bain_2020">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bain LE, Zweekhorst MB, de Cock Buning T | title = Prevalence and Determinants of Unintended Pregnancy in Sub -Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review | journal = African Journal of Reproductive Health | volume = 24 | issue = 2 | pages = 187–205 | date = June 2020 | pmid = 34077104 | url = http://worldcat.org/oclc/1246228179 | oclc = 1246228179 }}</ref>


=== Maternal deaths ===
==== North America ====
From 1990–1994 to 2010–2014, North American rates of unintended pregnancy decreased from approximately 50 such pregnancies per 1000 women ages 15–44 years old to 47.<ref name="Bearak_2018" />
{{main| Maternal death}}


===== United States =====
Over the six years between 1995 and 2000 there were an estimated 338 million pregnancies that were unintended and unwanted worldwide (28% of the total 1.2 billion pregnancies during that period).<ref name=promises /> These unwanted pregnancies resulted in nearly 700,000 maternal deaths (approximately one-fifth of maternal deaths during that period).<ref name=promises>{{cite journal| title = Promises to Keep: The Toll of Unintended Pregnancies on Women's Lives in the Developing World | url = http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/2319 | accessdate=2009-01-22}}</ref>
According to the [[Guttmacher Institute]], 45% of U.S. pregnancies in 2011 were unintended, approximately 2.8 million pregnancies per year.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /> In 2006, most states' rates were between 40 and 65 unintended pregnancies per 1,000 women. The state with the highest rate of unintended pregnancies was Mississippi, with 69 per 1,000 women, followed by [[California]], [[Delaware]], the District of Columbia, Hawaii and Nevada (66 to 67 per 1,000). New Hampshire had the lowest rate, 36 per 1,000 women, followed by Maine, North Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia (37 to 39 per 1,000 women).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/health/u-s-state-rates-unintended-pregnancy/|title=Unintended Pregnancy Rates at the State Level}} JournalistsResource.org, retrieved 20 March 2012</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Finer LB, Kost K | title = Unintended pregnancy rates at the state level | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 43 | issue = 2 | pages = 78–87 | date = June 2011 | pmid = 21651706 | doi = 10.1363/4307811 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
More than one-third of the deaths were from problems associated with pregnancy or childbirth, but the majority (64%) were from complications from [[unsafe abortion|unsafe or unsanitary abortion]].<ref name=promises/> Most of the deaths occurred in less developed parts of the world, where [[family planning]] and [[reproductive health]] services were less available.


Over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancy,<ref name="Monea_2011">{{cite journal | vauthors = Monea E, Thomas A | title = Unintended pregnancy and taxpayer spending | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 43 | issue = 2 | pages = 88–93 | date = June 2011 | pmid = 21651707 | doi = 10.1363/4308811 | s2cid = 16230025 }}</ref> and unintended pregnancies result in about 1.3 million abortions per year.<ref name="Speidel_2008">{{cite journal | vauthors = Speidel JJ, Harper CC, Shields WC | title = The potential of long-acting reversible contraception to decrease unintended pregnancy | journal = Contraception | volume = 78 | issue = 3 | pages = 197–200 | date = September 2008 | pmid = 18692608 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2008.06.001 }}</ref> In 2001, 44% of unintended pregnancies resulted in births, 42% resulted in induced abortion, and the rest in [[miscarriage]].<ref name="EC">{{cite web|url=http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/unintended-pregnancy.html|title=Emergency Contraception: Unintended Pregnancy in the United States|access-date=2009-01-25}}</ref> It is estimated that more than half of US women have had an unintended pregnancy by age 45.<ref name="Singh_2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Singh R, Frost J, Jordan B, Wells E | title = Beyond a prescription: strategies for improving contraceptive care | journal = Contraception | volume = 79 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–4 | date = January 2009 | pmid = 19041434 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2008.09.015 }}</ref> One 2012 study found over one-third of living people in the US under 31 years of age (born since 1982) were the result of unintended pregnancies, a rate virtually unchanged from 2002.<ref>{{Cite web | vauthors = Stokes T |date=2012-07-24 |title=Oopsie babies? A third of U.S. births unintended, study finds |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/oopsie-babies-third-u-s-births-unintended-study-finds-flna1C6435945 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref name="pmid23115878">{{cite journal | vauthors = Mosher WD, Jones J, Abma JC | title = Intended and unintended births in the United States: 1982-2010 | journal = National Health Statistics Reports | issue = 55 | pages = 1–28 | date = July 2012 | pmid = 23115878 | url = https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr055.pdf }}</ref>
Pre and postnatal depression contributes to increased risk of suicide among pregnant women and mothers. Suicide contributes to the rate of maternal mortality; where the rate of maternal deaths from physical causes is reduced by medically safe abortions and child delivery, the proportion from psychological problems can become more significant.
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|+
Unintended pregnancies and births in the United States<ref name="Henshaw_1998">{{cite journal | vauthors = Henshaw SK | title = Unintended pregnancy in the United States | journal = Family Planning Perspectives | volume = 30 | issue = 1 | pages = 24–9, 46 | year = 1998 | pmid = 9494812 | doi = 10.2307/2991522 | s2cid = 17427653 | jstor = 2991522 }}</ref><br /> Rate per 1000 women.
|-
!Year
!Unintended pregnancies
!Unintended births
|-
| 1981 || 54.2<ref name="Henshaw_1998" />|| 25<ref name="Henshaw_1998" />
|-
| 1987 || 53.5<ref name="Henshaw_1998" />|| 27<ref name="Henshaw_1998" />
|-
| 1994 || 44.7<ref name="Henshaw_1998" />|| 21<ref name="Henshaw_1998" />
|-
| 2001 || 48<ref name="Finer_2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Finer LB, Zolna MR | title = Shifts in intended and unintended pregnancies in the United States, 2001-2008 | journal = American Journal of Public Health | volume = 104 | issue = Suppl 1 | pages = S43–S48 | date = February 2014 | pmid = 24354819 | pmc = 4011100 | doi = 10.2105/ajph.2013.301416 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.642.9200 }}</ref>|| 23
|-
| 2008 || 51<ref name="Finer_2014" />|| 27


|}
In cultures that practice [[honor killing]], unintended pregnancy may increase the woman's chance of being killed.


== Factors associated with unintended pregnancy ==
=== Unwanted births ===
Unintended pregnancy typically occurs after sexual activity without the use of [[Birth control|contraception]], or not using it correctly. Such pregnancies may still occur despite using contraception correctly, but are uncommon. For example, in the [[United States]], of all the unintended pregnancies that occurred in 2008, women who used modern contraception consistently accounted for only 5% of the unintended pregnancies, while women who use contraception inconsistently or not at all accounted for 41% and 54% of all unintended pregnancies, respectively.<ref name="Guttmacher_2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/contraceptive-use-united-states|title=Contraceptive Use in the United States | date=July 2018| work =Guttmacher Institute |access-date= 27 August 2019 }}</ref>
Infants whose births were not wanted are more likely to die of [[infanticide]]. Unwanted children may also be [[Child abandonment|abandoned]], especially where social structures to handle adoption are not available.


There are many factors that may influence a person or couple's consistent use of contraception; a woman may not understand her risk of unintended pregnancy, and/or may not be able to access effective [[birth control]] to prevent pregnancy. Similarly, she may also not be able to control when/how she engages in sexual activity. Thus, many factors have been associated with higher likelihood of having an unintended pregnancy, as follows.
Unwanted children are sometimes put up for [[adoption]].
(Related {{MeshNumber|M01.111|Child,+Unwanted}}, Unwanted child.)


== Prevention ==
=== Younger age ===
{{See also|Teenage pregnancy|Adolescent sexuality}}
{{main|Family planning}}


Studies across the globe consistently find that younger age (adolescence or young adulthood) increases the likelihood of a pregnancy being unintended or unplanned.<ref name="Hohmann-Marriott_2018">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hohmann-Marriott BE | title = Unplanned pregnancies in New Zealand | journal = The Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology | volume = 58 | issue = 2 | pages = 247–250 | date = April 2018 | pmid = 29094755 | doi = 10.1111/ajo.12732 }}</ref><ref name="Enthoven_2022">{{cite journal | vauthors = Enthoven CA, El Marroun H, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, Jansen W, Lambregtse-van den Berg MP, Sondeijker F, Hillegers MH, Bijma HH, Jansen PW | title = Clustering of characteristics associated with unplanned pregnancies: the generation R study | journal = BMC Public Health | volume = 22 | issue = 1 | pages = 1957 | date = October 2022 | pmid = 36274127 | pmc = 9590126 | doi = 10.1186/s12889-022-14342-y | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name = "Wellings_2013" /><ref name = "Bain_2020" /><ref name="Aziz-Ali_2016">{{Cite journal | vauthors = Aziz Ali S, Aziz Ali S, Khuwaja NS |date=2016 |title=Determinants of Unintended Pregnancy among Women of Reproductive Age in Developing Countries: A Narrative Review |journal=Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health |volume=4 |issue=1 |doi=10.22038/jmrh.2016.6206}}</ref><ref name="Lukasse_2015">{{cite journal | vauthors = Lukasse M, Laanpere M, Karro H, Kristjansdottir H, Schroll AM, Van Parys AS, Wangel AM, Schei B | title = Pregnancy intendedness and the association with physical, sexual and emotional abuse - a European multi-country cross-sectional study | journal = BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | volume = 15 | issue = 1 | pages = 120 | date = May 2015 | pmid = 26008119 | pmc = 4494794 | doi = 10.1186/s12884-015-0558-4 | doi-access = free | collaboration = Bidens study group }}</ref>
Prevention includes comprehensive [[sexual education]], availability of [[family planning]] services, including access to a range of effective [[birth control]] methods. Most unintended pregnancies result from not using contraception, and many result from using contraceptives inconsistently or incorrectly. Increasing use of [[long-acting reversible contraceptive]]s (such as [[IUD]] and [[contraceptive implant]]s) decreases the chance of unintended pregnancy by decreasing the chance of incorrect use. Method failure is relatively rare with modern, highly effective contraceptives, and is much more of an issue when such methods are unavailable, unaffordable, or not used. (See [[comparison of contraceptive methods]]).


In the US, younger women who are sexually active are less likely to use contraception than other age groups, and thus are more likely to have unintended pregnancies. Approximately 18% of young women aged 15–19 years old at risk of unintended pregnancy do not use contraception, compared with 13% of women aged 20–24 and 10% of women aged 25–44.<ref name="Jones_2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Jones J, Mosher W, Daniels K | title = Current contraceptive use in the United States, 2006-2010, and changes in patterns of use since 1995 | journal = National Health Statistics Reports | volume = | issue = 60 | pages = 1–25 | date = October 2012 | pmid = 24988814 | doi = }}</ref>
In the United States, women who have an unintended pregnancy are more likely to have subsequent unplanned pregnancies.<ref name=ahrq2011 /> Providing family planning and contraceptive services as part of prenatal, postpartum and post abortion care can help reduce recurrence of unintended pregnancy.


Of the estimated 574,000 [[Teenage pregnancy|teen pregnancies]] (to young women aged 15–19) in the US in 2011, 75% were unintended.<ref name="Finer_2016">{{cite journal | vauthors = Finer LB, Zolna MR | title = Declines in Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 2008-2011 | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 374 | issue = 9 | pages = 843–852 | date = March 2016 | pmid = 26962904 | pmc = 4861155 | doi = 10.1056/NEJMsa1506575 }}</ref> In 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate was 41 per 1,000 women aged 15–19.<ref name="Finer_2016" /> Because many teens are not sexually active, these estimates understate the risk of unintended pregnancy among teens who are having sex. Calculations that account for sexual activity find that unintended pregnancy rates are highest among sexually active women aged 15–19 years old compared to other age groups.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Finer LB | title = Unintended pregnancy among U.S. adolescents: accounting for sexual activity | journal = The Journal of Adolescent Health | volume = 47 | issue = 3 | pages = 312–314 | date = September 2010 | pmid = 20708573 | doi = 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.02.002 }}</ref> About one-third of unintended teen pregnancies end in abortion.<ref name="Finer_2016" />
Providing contraceptives and family planning services at low or no cost to the user helps prevent unintended pregnancies. Many of those at risk of unintended pregnancy have little income, so even though contraceptives are highly cost-effective,<ref name=Trussell2009>{{cite journal|journal = Contraception|year = 2009| volume=79|issue = 1| pmid=19041435| pages = 5–14| title = Cost effectiveness of contraceptives in the United States | author = James Trussell, Anjana Lalla, Quan Doan, Eileen Reyes, Lionel Pinto, Joseph Gricar| doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2008.08.003}}</ref> up front cost can be a barrier. Subsidized family planning services improve the health of the population and saves money for governments and health insurers by reducing medical,<ref name=HP2020FP /> education and other costs to society.


The unintended pregnancy rate among teens has been declining in the US. Between 2008 and 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate declined 44% among women aged 15–17 years old and 20% among women aged 18–19 years old.<ref name="Finer_2016" /> This decline is attributed to improved contraceptive use among sexually active teens, rather than changes in sexual activity.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lindberg L, Santelli J, Desai S | title = Understanding the Decline in Adolescent Fertility in the United States, 2007-2012 | journal = The Journal of Adolescent Health | volume = 59 | issue = 5 | pages = 577–583 | date = November 2016 | pmid = 27595471 | pmc = 5498007 | doi = 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.024 }}</ref>
Providing modern contraceptives to the 201 million women at risk of unintended pregnancy in developing countries who do not have access to contraception would cost an estimated US$3.9 billion per year.<ref name=addingitup/> This expenditure would prevent an estimated 52 million unintended pregnancies annually, preventing 1.5 million [[maternal mortality|maternal]] and child deaths annually, and reduce induced abortions by 64% (25 million per year).<ref name=addingitup/> Reduced illness related to pregnancy would preserve 27 million [[Quality-adjusted life year|healthy life year]]s, at a cost of $144 per year of healthy life.<ref name=addingitup>{{cite report| title=Adding it Up: The Benefits of Investing In Sexual and Reproductive Health Care | url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/covers/addingitup.html | publisher = The [[Alan Guttmacher Institute]] and [[United Nations Population Fund|UNFPA]] | author = Susheela Singh, Jacqueline E. Darroch, Michael Vlassoff, Jennifer Nadeau | year = 2003 | isbn = 0-939253-62-3}}</ref>


=== Relationship status ===
It is theorized that preventing unintended pregnancies could help break the [[cycle of poverty]].<ref>Harris, Irving B. Children in jeopardy can we break the cycle of poverty? New Haven: Yale Child Study Center, Distributed by Yale UP, 1996.</ref>
Relationship status has a strong correlation with unintended pregnancy, but measures for relationship status vary by study. Some studies find that being '''single''' increases the likelihood of experiencing an unintended pregnancy,<ref name = "Bain_2020" /><ref name="Goossens_2016">{{cite journal | vauthors = Goossens J, Van Den Branden Y, Van der Sluys L, Delbaere I, Van Hecke A, Verhaeghe S, Beeckman D | title = The prevalence of unplanned pregnancy ending in birth, associated factors, and health outcomes | journal = Human Reproduction | volume = 31 | issue = 12 | pages = 2821–2833 | date = December 2016 | pmid = 27798048 | doi = 10.1093/humrep/dew266 }}</ref><ref name="Martin-de-las-Heras_2015">{{cite journal | vauthors = Martin-de-las-Heras S, Velasco C, ((Luna Jd)), Martin A | title = Unintended pregnancy and intimate partner violence around pregnancy in a population-based study | journal = Women and Birth | volume = 28 | issue = 2 | pages = 101–105 | date = June 2015 | pmid = 25622887 | doi = 10.1016/j.wombi.2015.01.003 }}</ref> some find that '''not living with a partner''' increases the likelihood,<ref name="Lukasse_2015" /><ref name="Goossens_2016" /> and others find '''cohabitation''' with a partner to increase the risk of unintended pregnancy.<ref name="Woodward_1995">{{cite journal | vauthors = Woodward VM | title = Psychosocial factors influencing teenage sexual activity, use of contraception and unplanned pregnancy | journal = Midwifery | volume = 11 | issue = 4 | pages = 210–216 | date = December 1995 | pmid = 8569522 | doi = 10.1016/0266-6138(95)90006-3 }}</ref>


In the US, women who are unmarried but live with their partners ([[Cohabitation|cohabiting]]) have a higher rate of unintended pregnancy compared with both unmarried noncohabiting women (141 vs. 36–54 per 1,000) and married women (29 per 1,000).<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" />
Affordable [[birth control|contraceptive]] services should form the basis for child abuse prevention.<ref name=BestIntent /> "The starting point for effective child abuse programming is [[family planning|pregnancy planning]]" US Surgeon General [[C. Everett Koop]]<ref name=BestIntent />


== Epidemiology ==
=== Lower income ===
Poverty, lower income, and/or economic hardship increases a woman's risk of unintended pregnancy across the globe.<ref name="Enthoven_2022" /><ref name = "Bain_2020" /><ref name="Aziz-Ali_2016" /><ref name="Lukasse_2015" />
Note: Numbers and rates are for detected pregnancies. A large proportion of pregnancies miscarry before the woman is aware of the pregnancy.


Poverty and lower income increases a woman's risk of unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy rates among women with incomes less than 100% of the poverty line was 112 per 1,000 in 2011, more than five times higher than the rate among women with incomes of at least or greater than 200% of poverty (20 per 1,000 women).<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" />
=== Incidence ===
The global rate of unintended pregnancy was 55 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2008, of which 26 per 1,000 ended in abortion.<ref name=Singh >{{cite report | title = Abortion Worldwide:
A Decade of Uneven Progress | publisher = Alan Guttmacher Institute | author = Susheela Singh, Deirdre Wulf, Rubina Hussain, Akinrinola Bankole, Gilda Sedgh | url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Abortion-Worldwide.pdf }}</ref> The rate of intended pregnancy was 79 per 1,000.<ref name=Singh /> The estimated 208 million pregnancies in 2008 resulted in 102 million intended births, 41 million induced abortions, 33 million unintended births, and 31 million miscarriages.<ref name=Singh />


=== Minority racial background/ethnicity ===
Globally, the proportion of married women practicing contraception increased from 54% in 1990 to 63% in 2003.<ref name=Singh />
Women living in countries where they belong to a racial or ethnic [[minority group]] frequently have higher unintended pregnancy rates compared to women of the regional majority.<ref name="Hohmann-Marriott_2018" /><ref name="Enthoven_2022" /><ref name="Lukasse_2015" />
The global rate of unintended pregnancy declined from 69 per 1,000 women in 1995.<ref name=Singh /> The decline was greatest in the more developed world.<ref name=Singh />


In the US, women who identify as racial minorities are at increased risk of unintended pregnancy. In 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate for non-Hispanic black women was more than double that of non-Hispanic white women (79 versus 33 per 1,000).<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" />
Worldwide, 38% of pregnancies were unintended in 1999 (some 80 million unintended pregnancies in 1999).<ref name=speidel /><ref name=sharing >{{cite report | url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/archive/Sharing-Responsibility.pdf | title = Sharing Responsibility:Women, Society and
Abortion Worldwide | year = 1999}}</ref> In developed world an estimated 49% of pregnancies were unintended, 36% in the developing world.<ref name=sharing />


=== Lower education level ===
Unintended pregnancy is more likely among the poor, who have less access to contraceptives, less education about sexuality and family planning, and may have fewer career opportunities. In the United States, [[teen pregnancy|teen pregnancies]] are more likely than others to be unintended. Often as a result of lack of knowledge about sexuality and contraceptives, inexperience using contraceptives, difficulty getting contraceptives, or lack of planning. Women nearing menopause also have an increased risk of unintended pregnancy; as periods become less regular, a woman may assume that she can no longer have children, and stop using contraceptives, or use them less consistently.
Studies across the globe consistently find that women with relatively lower educational attainment are far more likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy than women who are more educated; the level of [[education]] education that makes the difference is relative, varying by region and country, as demonstrated by multiple studies.<ref name="Enthoven_2022" /><ref name = "Wellings_2013" /><ref name = "Bain_2020" /><ref name="Aziz-Ali_2016" /><ref name="Lukasse_2015" /><ref name="Goossens_2016" /><ref name="Woodward_1995" /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Font-Ribera L, Pérez G, Salvador J, Borrell C | title = Socioeconomic inequalities in unintended pregnancy and abortion decision | journal = Journal of Urban Health | volume = 85 | issue = 1 | pages = 125–135 | date = January 2008 | pmid = 18038210 | pmc = 2430141 | doi = 10.1007/s11524-007-9233-z }}</ref>


Women without a high school degree had the highest unintended pregnancy rate among any educational level in 2011, at 73 per 1,000, accounting for 45% of all pregnancies in this group. Unintended pregnancy rates decreased with each level of educational attainment.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /><ref name="Finer_2016" />
== By country/region ==
=== Europe ===
In France, 33% of pregnancies are unintended. Of women at risk for unintended pregnancy, only 3% do not use contraception, and 20% use [[Intrauterine device]]s (IUDs).<ref name=trussell08 />


=== Lifetime abuse, Current domestic abuse, and Non-consensual intercourse ===
=== United States of America ===
Sexual coercion, [[rape]], or even [[forced pregnancy]] may be associated with unintended pregnancy, all of which sometimes happens in the context of [[domestic violence]]. Studies in various countries have linked intimate partner violence or current abuse,<ref name="Lukasse_2015" /><ref name="Goossens_2016" /><ref name="Martin-de-las-Heras_2015" /><ref name="pmid11064235">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hathaway JE, Mucci LA, Silverman JG, Brooks DR, Mathews R, Pavlos CA | title = Health status and health care use of Massachusetts women reporting partner abuse | journal = American Journal of Preventive Medicine | volume = 19 | issue = 4 | pages = 302–307 | date = November 2000 | pmid = 11064235 | doi = 10.1016/s0749-3797(00)00236-1 }}</ref> as well as prior abuse<ref name="Lukasse_2015" /> (incl. during childhood),<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dietz PM, Spitz AM, Anda RF, Williamson DF, McMahon PM, Santelli JS, Nordenberg DF, Felitti VJ, Kendrick JS | title = Unintended pregnancy among adult women exposed to abuse or household dysfunction during their childhood | journal = JAMA | volume = 282 | issue = 14 | pages = 1359–1364 | date = October 1999 | pmid = 10527183 | doi = 10.1001/jama.282.14.1359 }}</ref> to a higher risk of experiencing unintended pregnancy.
The United States rate of unintended pregnancies is higher than the world average, and much higher than that in other industrialized nations.<ref name=EC>{{cite web| url = http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/unintended-pregnancy.html| title = Emergency Contraception: Unintended Pregnancy in the United States|accessdate = 2009-01-25}}</ref> Almost half (49%) of U.S. pregnancies are unintended, more than 3 million unintended pregnancies per year.<ref name="Trussell2009" /> Over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancy,<ref name=Monea2011 /> unintended pregnancies result in about 1.3 million abortions/year.<ref name=speidel /> The rate of abortions is high in the United States than in other developed countries because of the higher rate of unintended pregnancies in the US.<ref name=AGI1999 /> In 2001, 44% of unintended pregnancies resulted in births, and 42% resulted in induced abortion and the rest in [[miscarriage]].<ref name=EC /> It is estimated that more than half of US women have had an unintended pregnancy by age 45.<ref name=singh>{{cite journal | journal = Contraception | year = 2009 | month = January | title = Beyond A Prescription: Strategies for Improving Contraceptive Care | author = Rameet Singh, Jennifer Frost, Beth Jordan, and Elisa Wells | url=http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/contraception-journal/january-2009 }}</ref>


A longitudinal study in 1996 of over 4000 women in the United States followed for three years found that the [[Effects and aftermath of rape|rape-related pregnancy]] rate was 5.0% among survivors aged 12–45 years. Applying that rate to rapes committed in the United States would indicate that there are over 32,000 pregnancies in the United States as a result of rape each year.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Holmes MM, Resnick HS, Kilpatrick DG, Best CL | title = Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women | journal = American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 175 | issue = 2 | pages = 320–4; discussion 324–5 | date = August 1996 | pmid = 8765248 | doi = 10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2 }}</ref>
==== History ====
US birth rates declined in the 1970s. Factors that are likely to have led to this decline include: The introduction of the [[combined oral contraceptive|birth control pill]] in 1960, and its subsequent rapid increase in popularity; the completion of legalization of contraceptives in the 1960s and early 1970s; the introduction of federal funding for family planning in the 1960s and [[Title X]] in 1970; and the legalization of abortion, which was completed in 1973. The decline in birth rate was associated with reductions in the number of children put up for adoption and reduction in the rate of neonaticide.


[[Birth control sabotage]] is abuse in the form of tampering with contraception or interfering with the use of contraception in order to undermine efforts to prevent pregnancy.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Grace KT, Anderson JC | title = Reproductive Coercion: A Systematic Review | journal = Trauma, Violence & Abuse | volume = 19 | issue = 4 | pages = 371–390 | date = October 2018 | pmid = 27535921 | pmc = 5577387 | doi = 10.1177/1524838016663935 }}</ref>
* It is unclear to what extent legalization of abortion may have increased the availability of the procedure.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 51 --> It is estimated that before legalization about 1 million abortions were performed annually.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 51 --> Before legalization, aboriton was probably one of the most common criminal activities.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 51 --> Before legalization, an estimated 1,000 to 10,000 women died each year from complications of poorly preformed abortions.<ref name=BestIntent /> Legalization was followed by a decrease in pregnancy related deaths in young women, as well as decrease in hospital admissions for incomplete or septic abortions, conditions more common than induced abortion.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 51 -->


=== Multiparity / Already having children ===
* The infanticide rate during the first hour of life dropped from 1.41 per 100,000 during 1963 to 1972 to 0.44 per 100,000 for 1974 to 1983; the rate during the first month of life also declined, whereas the rate for older infants rose during this time.<ref name=Paul>{{cite book| title = Management of unintended and abnormal pregnancy: comprehensive abortion care | author = Maureen Paul | page = 34 | publisher = Wiley-Blackwell | isbn = 978-1405176965 }}</ref>
{{See also|Gravidity and parity}}
Women who already have children are more likely to report a pregnancy as unintended. The number of children that makes the difference is relative, varying by region and country, as demonstrated by different studies.<ref name="Enthoven_2022" /><ref name = "Bain_2020" /><ref name="Aziz-Ali_2016" /><ref name="Goossens_2016" />


== Public health implications ==
The rate of unintended pregnancy declined significantly from 1987 until 1994, due to increased contraceptive use<ref name=Henshaw1998/><ref name=Finer2006 /> Since then until 2001 the rate has remained relatively unchanged.<ref name=Finer2006>{{cite journal | author = Finer L, Henshaw S. | title = Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001 | journal = Perspect Sex Reprod Health | date = 2006 Jun | volume = 38 | issue = 2 | pages = 90–6 | doi=10.1363/3809006 | pmid=16772190}}</ref>
In the United States in 2011, 42% of all unintended pregnancies ended in abortion, and 58% ended in birth (not including miscarriages).<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /> Regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy, unintended pregnancies have significant negative impacts on individual and public health.


=== Unintended births ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
Pregnancy, whether intended or unintended, has risks and [[complications of pregnancy|potential complications]]. On average, unintended pregnancies that are carried to term result in poorer outcomes for the pregnant woman and for the child than do intended pregnancies.
|+
Unintended pregnancies and births in the United States<ref name=Henshaw1998>{{cite journal | title = Unintended Pregnancy in the United States | author = Stanley K. Henshaw | journal = Family Planning Perspectives | year = 1998 | volume = 30 | issue = 1 | pages = 24–29 & 46 | doi = 10.2307/2991522 }}</ref><br /> Rate per 1000 women.
|-
!Year
!Unintended pregnancies
!Unintended births
|-
| 1981 || 54.2 <ref name=Henshaw1998/> || 25 <ref name=Henshaw1998/>
|-
| 1987 || 53.5 <ref name=Henshaw1998/> || 27 <ref name=Henshaw1998/>
|-
| 1994 || 44.7 <ref name=Henshaw1998/> || 21 <ref name=Henshaw1998/>
|-
| 2001 || 51 <ref name=Finer2006 /> ||
|}


==== Missed opportunities for preconception care ====
Among poor women, the rate of unintended pregnancy and unintended birth rose from 1994 to 2001, while it declined for the more affluent women (those >200% of federal poverty level).<ref name=Finer2006 /> (Unintended pregnancy rose almost 30% and unintended births rose 50% for those below federal poverty level.) Contraceptive use had been increasing for years, but stopped in the 1990s, and began to decline among poorer women.<ref name=Kaufman>{{cite news| title = Unplanned Pregnancy Increases among Poor | author = Marc Kaufman | url = http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0505-07.htm | publisher = San Francisco Chronicle | accessdate = 2011-08-23 | date = May 5, 2006 }}</ref> Cuts in federal and state family planning programs may account for the decreased use of contraceptives and increase in unintended pregnancies.<ref name=Kaufman/>
Unintended pregnancy usually precludes [[pre-conception counseling]] and pre-conception care.<ref name="Power to Decide">{{Cite web|url=https://powertodecide.org/sites/default/files/resources/supporting-materials/getting-the-facts-straight-chapter-3-maternal-infant-health.pdf|title=Maternal and Infant Health and the Benefits of Birth Control in America|website=Power to Decide|access-date=2019-09-03}}</ref> Patients with unintended pregnancies with preexisting medical comorbidities such as [[diabetes]] or [[autoimmune disease]] may not be able to optimize control of these conditions before becoming pregnant, which is often associated with poorer outcomes during the resulting pregnancy. Patients taking known [[teratogenic]] drugs, such as some of those used for [[epilepsy]] or [[hypertension]], may not have the opportunity to change to a non-teratogenic drug regimen before an unintended conception. Unintended pregnancies preclude chance to resolve [[sexually transmitted infection]]s (STIs) before pregnancy; untreated STIs may be associated with premature delivery or later infection of the newborn.<ref name="BestIntent" />


==== Costs and potential savings ====
==== Late initiation of prenatal care ====
Patients with unintended pregnancies enter prenatal care later.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Delvaux T, Buekens P, Godin I, Boutsen M | title = Barriers to prenatal care in Europe | journal = American Journal of Preventive Medicine | volume = 21 | issue = 1 | pages = 52–59 | date = July 2001 | pmid = 11418258 | doi = 10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00315-4 }}</ref><ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 66 - 68 --> Unwanted pregnancies have more delay than mistimed.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 66 - 68 --> Patients who present late to prenatal care may also miss the opportunities for genetic testing of the fetus in the second trimester, which can identify abnormal fetuses and may be used in the decision to continue or terminate the pregnancy.
The public cost of unintended pregnancy is estimated to be about 11 billion dollars per year in short term medical costs.<ref name=Monea2011 /> This includes costs of births, one year of infant medical care and costs of fetal loss.<ref name=Monea2011 /> Preventing unintended pregnancy would save the public over 5 billion dollars per year in short term medical costs.<ref name=Monea2011 /> Savings in long term costs and in other areas would be much larger.<ref name=Monea2011>{{cite journal | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | year = 2011 | month = June | volume = 43 | author = Monea J, Thomas A | title = Unintended pregnancy and taxpayer spending | pages = 88–93 | doi = 10.1363/4308811 | pmid=21651707 | issue = 2}}</ref>
By another estimate, the direct medical costs of unintended pregnancies, not including infant medical care, was $5 billion in 2002.<ref name="Trussell07">{{cite journal
|author=Trussell J
|title=The cost of unintended pregnancy in the United States
|journal=Contraception
|volume=75
|issue=3
|pages=168–70
|year=2007
|month=March
|pmid=17303484
|doi=10.1016/j.contraception.2006.11.009
|url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0010-7824(06)00447-1
}}</ref>


==== Teens ====
==== Maternal mental health ====
Women with an unintended pregnancy are more likely to develop [[postpartum depression|depression during or after pregnancy]].<ref name="HP2020FP">{{cite web|title=Family Planning – Healthy People 2020 | url=http://healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=13|website=HealthyPeople.gov|access-date=2011-08-18}} This reference cites:
{{see also | Adolescent sexuality in the United States}}
* {{cite report |vauthors=Logan C, Holcombe E, Manlove J, etal |title=The consequences of unintended childbearing: A white paper |location=Washington | publisher=[[Child Trends]] |date=May 2007 |url = http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2007_05_01_FR_Consequences.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702204001/http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2007_05_01_FR_Consequences.pdf |archive-date=July 2, 2010 | url-status=dead}}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Cheng D, Schwarz EB, Douglas E, Horon I | title = Unintended pregnancy and associated maternal preconception, prenatal and postpartum behaviors | journal = Contraception | volume = 79 | issue = 3 | pages = 194–198 | date = March 2009 | pmid = 19185672 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2008.09.009 }}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Kost K, Landry DJ, Darroch JE | title = Predicting maternal behaviors during pregnancy: does intention status matter? | journal = Family Planning Perspectives | volume = 30 | issue = 2 | pages = 79–88 | date = Mar–Apr 1998 | pmid = 9561873 | doi = 10.2307/2991664 | s2cid = 29117714 | jstor = 2991664 }}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = D'Angelo DV, Gilbert BC, Rochat RW, Santelli JS, Herold JM | title = Differences between mistimed and unwanted pregnancies among women who have live births | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 36 | issue = 5 | pages = 192–197 | date = Sep–Oct 2004 | pmid = 15519961 | doi = 10.1363/3619204 | s2cid = 29285899 }}
</ref><ref name="ahrq2011">{{cite journal | date = August 2011 | title = Providers miss opportunities to prevent depression in and discuss birth control with women with unplanned pregnancies|url=http://www.ahrq.gov/research/aug11/0811RA18.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130118030516/http://www.ahrq.gov/research/aug11/0811RA18.htm | archive-date = 18 January 2013 | url-status = dead |journal=Research Activities |issue=372 |page=15 | publisher = Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services }}</ref><ref name="Nelson_2022">{{cite journal | vauthors = Nelson HD, Darney BG, Ahrens K, Burgess A, Jungbauer RM, Cantor A, Atchison C, Eden KB, Goueth R, Fu R | title = Associations of Unintended Pregnancy With Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis | journal = JAMA | volume = 328 | issue = 17 | pages = 1714–1729 | date = November 2022 | pmid = 36318133 | pmc = 9627416 | doi = 10.1001/jama.2022.19097 }}</ref>


==== Relationship stress ====
Of the 800,000 [[teenage pregnancy|teen pregnancies]] per year,<ref name=Dragoman>{{cite journal |author=Dragoman M, Davis A |title=Abortion care for adolescents |journal=Clin Obstet Gynecol |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=281–9 |year=2008 |month=June |pmid=18463459 |doi=10.1097/GRF.0b013e31816d72ee |url=http://meta.wkhealth.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/lwwgateway/media/landingpage.htm?an=00003081-200806000-00012}}</ref> over 80% were unintended in 2001.<ref name=speidel /> One-third of teen pregnancies result in abortion.<ref name=Dragoman/> In 2002, about 9% of women at risk for unintended pregnancy were teenagers,<ref name=trussell08>{{cite journal | journal = Contraception | title = Reducing unintended pregnancy in the United States | url = http://www.arhp.org/Publications-and-Resources/Contraception-Journal/January-2008 | date = January 2008}}</ref> but about 20% of the unintended pregnancies in the United States are to teenagers.<ref name=SIECUS>{{cite journal |author= |title=Teenage pregnancy. Fact sheet |journal=SIECUS Rep |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=21–2 |year=1998 |pmid=12293248 |doi= |url=}}</ref> A somewhat larger proportion of unintended births are reported as mistimed, rather than unwanted, for teens compared to women in general (79% mistimed for teens vs. 69% among all women in 1998).<ref name=trussell97>{{cite journal |author=Trussell J, Koenig J, Stewart F, Darroch JE |title=Medical care cost savings from adolescent contraceptive use |journal=Fam Plann Perspect |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=248–55, 295 |year=1997 |pmid=9429869 |doi= 10.2307/2953412|url=http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2924897.html |jstor=2953412}}</ref>
Women with unintended pregnancy are at increased risk of physical violence during pregnancy<ref name="HP2020FP" /><ref name="Nelson_2022" /> and report feeling greater relationship instability.<ref name="Unplanned Pregnancy">{{cite web|url=http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/Factsheet-Consequences.pdf|title=Unplanned Pregnancy|publisher=The National Campaign|access-date=2013-11-21|archive-date=2012-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510062839/http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/FactSheet-Consequences.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==== Prevention ====
==== Substance use during pregnancy ====
[[File:Zero alcool pendant la grossesse.svg|thumb|A [[Alcohol packaging warning messages|label on alcoholic drinks]] promoting zero alcohol during [[pregnancy]]]]
In the US it is estimated that 52% of unintended pregnancies result from couples not using [[birth control|contraception]] in the month the woman got pregnant, and 43% result from inconsistent or incorrect contraceptive use; only 5% result from contraceptive failure, according to a report from the [[Guttmacher Institute]].<ref name=speidel>{{cite journal|journal = Contraception | year = 2008 | month = September | title = The Potential of Long-acting Reversible Contraception to Decrease Unintended Pregnancy | author = J. Joseph Speidel, Cynthia C. Harper, and Wayne C. Shields | url = http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/contraception-journal/september-2008 }}</ref> Contraceptive use saved an estimated $19 billion in direct medical costs from unintended pregnancies in 2002.<ref name="Trussell07" />


Women with unintended pregnancies are more likely to [[Smoking and pregnancy|smoke tobacco]],<ref name="Power to Decide" /> drink alcohol during pregnancy,<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 68 - 70 -->,<ref name="Centers for Disease Control_2012">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr055.pdf|title=Intended and Unintended Births in the United States: 1982–2010|date=July 24, 2012|website=Centers for Disease Control|access-date=2019-09-03}}</ref> and binge drink during pregnancy,<ref name="Power to Decide" /> which results in poorer health outcomes.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 68 - 70 --> (See also: [[fetal alcohol spectrum disorder]])
In 2006, publicly funded family planning services ([[Title X]], medicaid, and state funds) helped women avoid 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, thus preventing about 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions.<ref name=guttmacherPubBC /> Without publicly funded family planning services, the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the United States would be nearly two-thirds higher among women overall and among teens; the number of unintended pregnancies among poor women would nearly double<ref name=guttmacherPubBC>{{cite web|year=2011|month=February|url=http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contraceptive_serv.html|title=Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States|publisher=[[Guttmacher Institute]]|accessdate=August 12, 2011}}</ref>
The services provided at publicly funded clinics saved the federal and state governments an estimated $5.1 billion in 2008 in short term medical costs.<ref name=guttmacherPubBC /> Nationally, every $1.00 invested in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy saved $3.74 in Medicaid expenditures that otherwise would have been needed.<ref name=guttmacherPubBC />


==== Increased rates of preterm birth and low birth weight ====
Reducing unintended pregnancy in the United States would be particularly desirable since abortion is such a politically divisive issue.<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 54 -->
Unintended pregnancies are more likely to delivery prematurely,<ref name="BestIntent" /><ref name="Power to Decide" /><ref name="Nelson_2022" /> and have a greater likelihood of low birth weight,<ref name="Nelson_2022" /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hall JA, Benton L, Copas A, Stephenson J | title = Pregnancy Intention and Pregnancy Outcome: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | journal = Maternal and Child Health Journal | volume = 21 | issue = 3 | pages = 670–704 | date = March 2017 | pmid = 28093686 | pmc = 5357274 | doi = 10.1007/s10995-016-2237-0 }}</ref> particularly for unwanted pregnancies.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 68 - 70 --><ref name="Centers for Disease Control_2012" />


==== Rape ====
==== Decreased bonding with infant ====
Unintended pregnancies have been associated with lower mother–child relationship quality.<ref name="HP2020FP" /><ref name="Unplanned Pregnancy" /> (See also [[maternal bond]].)
A longitudinal study in 1996 of over 4000 women in the United States followed for 3 years found that the [[Effects and aftermath of rape|rape-related pregnancy]] rate was 5.0% among victims aged 12–45 years. Applying that rate to rapes committed in the United States would indicate that there are over 32,000 pregnancies in the United States as a result of rape each year.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2 | last1 = Holmes | first1 = MM | last2 = Resnick | year = 1996 | first2 = HS | last3 = Kilpatrick | first3 = DG | last4 = Best | first4 = CL | title = Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women | url = | journal = American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 175 | issue = 2| pages = 320–324 | pmid = 8765248 }}</ref>


==== Decreased breastfeeding ====
== History ==
Women who deliver unintended pregnancies are less likely to [[breastfeeding|breastfeed]],<ref name="HP2020FP" /><ref name="Centers for Disease Control_2012" /> which in itself has been associated with a number of improved health outcomes for both mothers and infants.


==== Increased rates of child neglect and abuse ====
{{see also|History of abortion|History of condoms|Timeline of reproductive rights legislation|}}
Children born of unintended pregnancies have higher risk of [[child abuse]] and [[child neglect|neglect]].<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 73-4 --><ref name="Bethea_1999">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bethea L | title = Primary prevention of child abuse | journal = American Family Physician | volume = 59 | issue = 6 | pages = 1577–85, 1591–2 | date = March 1999 | pmid = 10193598 | url = http://www.aafp.org/afp/990315ap/1577.html | access-date = 2011-08-31 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101228042800/http://www.aafp.org/afp/990315ap/1577.html | archive-date = 2010-12-28 }}</ref>


==== Poorer long-term developmental outcomes ====
Early ways of preventing unwanted pregnancy included [[withdrawal]] and various alternatives to intercourse; they are difficult to use correctly and, while much better than no method, have high failure rates compared to modern methods.<ref name=AGI1999 /><ref name=Potts2009>{{cite web | author = Potts, M, Campbell, M | work = Glob. libr. women's med. | issn = 1756-2228 | year = 2009 | doi = 10.3843/GLOWM.10376|title = History of contraception| url = http://www.glowm.com/?p=glowm.cml/section_view&articleid=375 }}</ref> Various devices and medications thought to have [[spermicides|spermicidal]], contraceptive, abortifacient or similar properties were also used.
Children born of unintended pregnancies are less likely to succeed in school,<ref name="Monea_2011" /> with significantly lower test scores,<ref name="Unplanned Pregnancy" /> more likely to [[Child poverty|live in poverty]] and need [[public assistance]],<ref name="Monea_2011" /> and more likely to have [[juvenile delinquency|delinquent]] and criminal behavior.<ref name="Monea_2011" />


==== Adoption ====
Abortions have been induced to prevent unwanted births since antiquity,<ref name=BestIntent /><!-- page 51 --> abortion methods are described in some of the earliest medical texts.<ref name=Potts2009/> The degree of safety of early methods relative to the risks of child birth is unclear.<ref name=Potts2009/>
{{Main|Adoption}}
Unintended pregnancies may result in an adoption of the infant, where the biological parents (or birth parents) transfer their privileges and responsibilities to the adoptive parents. Birth parents choose adoption when they do not wish to parent the current pregnancy and they prefer to carry the pregnancy to term rather than ending the pregnancy through an abortion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://adoptionnetwork.com/abortion-adoption-parenting|title=Unplanned Pregnancy Options|website=Adoption Network|access-date=2017-09-12|archive-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819073054/https://adoptionnetwork.com/unplanned-pregnancy-the-ultimate-guide/pregnancy-options|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the United States alone, 135,000 children are adopted each year<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/pov/offandrunning/fact-sheet/|title=Adoption Fact Sheet|date=2010-01-18|work=Off and Running|publisher=Public Broadcasting System|access-date=2017-09-17|archive-date=2018-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010080047/http://www.pbs.org/pov/offandrunning/fact-sheet/|url-status=dead}}</ref> which represents about 3% of all live births. According to the 2010 census, there were 1,527,020 adopted children in the United States, representing 2.5 percent of all U.S. children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p20-572.pdf|title=Adopted Children and Stepchildren: 2010|website=US Census}}</ref> There are two forms of adoption: open adoptions and closed adoptions. Open adoption allows birth parents to know and have contact with the adoptive parents and the adopted child.<ref name="Child_Welfare">{{cite web |url= https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/openadoption.pdf |title=Open Adoption |website=Child Welfare}}</ref> In a closed adoption, there is no contact between the birth parents and adoptive parents, and information identifying the adoptive parents and the birth parents is not shared. However, non-identifying information (i.e. background and medical information) about the birth parents will be shared with the adoptive parents.<ref name="Child_Welfare" />


=== Induced abortions ===
[[Infanticide]] (‘customary [[neonaticide]]’) or [[child abandonment|abandonment]] (sometimes in the form of exposure) are other traditional way of dealing with babies that were not wanted or that a family could not support.<ref name=Potts2009 /> Opinions on the morality or desirability of the practices have changed through history.
{{Main|Abortion}}
Abortion, the voluntary termination of pregnancy, is one of the primary consequences of unintended pregnancy.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51 --> A large proportion of induced abortions worldwide are due to unwanted or mistimed pregnancies.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Bankole A, Singh S, Haas T|year=1998|title=Reasons Why Women Have Induced Abortions: Evidence from 27 Countries|url=http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2411798.html|journal=International Family Planning Perspectives|volume=24|issue=3|pages=117–152|doi=10.2307/3038208|jstor=3038208|access-date=2009-01-26|archive-date=2006-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117191716/http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2411798.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Finer_2005">{{cite journal | vauthors = Finer LB, Frohwirth LF, Dauphinee LA, Singh S, Moore AM | title = Reasons U.S. women have abortions: quantitative and qualitative perspectives | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 37 | issue = 3 | pages = 110–118 | date = September 2005 | pmid = 16150658 | doi = 10.1111/j.1931-2393.2005.tb00045.x }}</ref> Unintended pregnancies result in about 42 million induced [[abortion]]s per year worldwide.<ref name="Speidel_2008" /> In the United States, approximately 42% of all unintended pregnancies ended in abortion.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /> Over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancy.<ref name="Monea_2011" /> The U.S. states with the highest levels of abortions performed were Delaware, New York and New Jersey, with rates of 40, 38 and 31 per 1,000 women, respectively. High rates were also seen in the states of Maryland, California, Florida, Nevada and Connecticut with rates of 25 to 29 per 1,000 women. The state with the lowest abortion rate was Wyoming, which had less than 1 per 1,000 women, followed by Mississippi, Kentucky, South Dakota, Idaho and Missouri with rates of 5 to 6 abortions per 1,000 women.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/health/abortion-incidence-access-services-united-states/|title=Abortion Incidence and Access to Services in the United States}} JournalistsResource.org, retrieved 20 March 2012</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jones RK, Kooistra K | title = Abortion incidence and access to services in the United States, 2008 | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 43 | issue = 1 | pages = 41–50 | date = March 2011 | pmid = 21388504 | doi = 10.1363/4304111 | s2cid = 2045184 }}</ref>


<!-- page 2 -->Abortion carries few health risks when performed in accordance with modern medical techniques.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51-53 --><ref name="Grimes_2006">{{cite journal | vauthors = Grimes DA, Benson J, Singh S, Romero M, Ganatra B, Okonofua FE, Shah IH | title = Unsafe abortion: the preventable pandemic | journal = Lancet | volume = 368 | issue = 9550 | pages = 1908–1919 | date = November 2006 | pmid = 17126724 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69481-6 | s2cid = 6188636 }}</ref><ref name="Grimes_2004">{{cite journal | vauthors = Grimes DA, Creinin MD | title = Induced abortion: an overview for internists | journal = Annals of Internal Medicine | volume = 140 | issue = 8 | pages = 620–626 | date = April 2004 | pmid = 15096333 | doi = 10.7326/0003-4819-140-8-200404200-00009 | doi-access = }}</ref> In higher resource areas where abortion is legal, it has lower morbidity and mortality for the pregnant woman than childbirth.<ref name="BestIntent" /><ref name="Grimes_2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Raymond EG, Grimes DA | title = The comparative safety of legal induced abortion and childbirth in the United States | journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 119 | issue = 2 Pt 1 | pages = 215–219 | date = February 2012 | pmid = 22270271 | doi = 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31823fe923 | s2cid = 25534071 }}</ref><ref name="Grimes_2006b">{{cite journal | vauthors = Grimes DA | title = Estimation of pregnancy-related mortality risk by pregnancy outcome, United States, 1991 to 1999 | journal = American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 194 | issue = 1 | pages = 92–94 | date = January 2006 | pmid = 16389015 | doi = 10.1016/j.ajog.2005.06.070 }}</ref> However, where safe abortions are not available, abortion can contribute significantly to maternal mortality<ref name="Haddad_2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Haddad LB, Nour NM | title = Unsafe abortion: unnecessary maternal mortality | journal = Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology | volume = 2 | issue = 2 | pages = 122–126 | year = 2009 | pmid = 19609407 | pmc = 2709326 }}</ref> and morbidity.<ref name="Grimes_2006" /> While decisions about abortion may cause some individuals psychological distress,<ref name="Adler_1990">{{cite journal | vauthors = Adler NE, David HP, Major BN, Roth SH, Russo NF, Wyatt GE | title = Psychological responses after abortion | journal = Science | volume = 248 | issue = 4951 | pages = 41–44 | date = April 1990 | pmid = 2181664 | doi = 10.1126/science.2181664 | bibcode = 1990Sci...248...41A }}</ref> some find a reduction in distress after abortion.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 53-54 --><ref name="NEJMDec2011">{{cite journal | vauthors = Templeton A, Grimes DA | title = Clinical practice. A request for abortion | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 365 | issue = 23 | pages = 2198–2204 | date = December 2011 | pmid = 22150038 | doi = 10.1056/NEJMcp1103639 }}</ref> There is no evidence of widespread psychological harm from abortion.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 53-54 --><ref name="moreonkoop">{{cite journal | vauthors = | title = More on Koop's study of abortion | journal = Family Planning Perspectives | volume = 22 | issue = 1 | pages = 36–39 | year = 1990 | pmid = 2323405 | doi = 10.2307/2135437 | jstor = 2135437 }}</ref><ref name="Cockburn_2007">{{cite book |title=Psychological Challenges to Obstetrics and Gynecology: The Clinical Management |url= https://archive.org/details/psychologicalcha00paws |url-access=limited | vauthors = Cockburn J, Pawson ME |publisher=Springer|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84628-807-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/psychologicalcha00paws/page/n258 243] }}</ref>
Where modern contraceptives are not available, abortion has sometimes been used as a major way of preventing unwanted birth. For instance in much of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics in the 1980s, desired family size was small, but modern contraceptive methods were not readily available, so many couples relied on abortion, which was legal, safe, and readily accessible, to regulate births.<ref name=AGI1999 /> In many cases, as contraceptives became more available the rate of unintended pregnancy and abortion dropped rapidly during the 1990s.<ref name=AGI1999 />


=== Maternal deaths ===
In the 19th and 20th century, the desired number of pregnancies has declined as reductions in infant and childhood mortality have increased the probability that children will reach adulthood. Other factors, such as level of education and economic opportunities for women, have also lead to reductions in the desired number of children.<ref name=AGI1999 >{{cite web|url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/ib_0599.html | title = Abortion in Context: United States and Worldwide | publisher = Alan Guttmacher Institute | date = May 1999 | accessdate = 2011-08-28}}</ref> As the number of desired number of children decreases, couples spend more of their reproductive lives trying to avoid unintended pregnancies.<ref name=AGI1999 />
{{Main|Maternal death}}


Over the six years between 1995 and 2000 there were an estimated 338 million pregnancies that were unintended and unwanted worldwide (28% of the total 1.2 billion pregnancies during that period).<ref name="Williams_2002">{{cite journal | vauthors = Williams LJ |title= Press Release: Promises to Keep: The Toll of Unintended Pregnancies on Women's Lives in the Developing World |url= http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/2319 |date=25 September 2002 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081206063342/http://globalhealth.org/news/article/2319 | archive-date = 6 December 2008 | url-status = dead |access-date=2009-01-22 | journal = Global Health Council }}</ref> These unwanted pregnancies resulted in nearly 700,000 maternal deaths (approximately one-fifth of maternal deaths during that period). More than one-third of the deaths were from problems associated with pregnancy or childbirth, but the majority (64%) were from complications from [[unsafe abortion|unsafe or unsanitary abortion]].<ref name="Williams_2002" /> Most of the deaths occurred in low resource regions of the world, where [[family planning]] and [[reproductive health]] services were less available.<ref name="Williams_2002" /> In certain countries with extreme prohibitions on abortions like [[El Salvador]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Haiti]], the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Jamaica]], [[Suriname]], [[Egypt]], [[Madagascar]], [[Mauritania]], [[Senegal]], [[Sierra Leone]], the [[Republic of Congo]], [[Laos]], the [[Philippines]], [[Iraq]] forced women which have unintended pregnancies to commit [[suicide]] and its also contributed to maternal deaths.<ref>{{cite web|title=Does Restricted Access to Abortion Truly Increase the Number of Suicides of Women? |url=https://www.alliancevita.org/en/2023/06/does-restricted-access-to-abortion-truly-increase-the-number-of-suicides-of-women/ |publisher=Alliance VITA |date=22 June 2023 |access-date=27 March 2024 }}</ref>
== In society and culture ==


=== Costs and potential savings ===
Unintended pregnancy can be an indicator of [[premarital sex]], which may carry social stigma, result in persecution or [[honor killing]]. Sometimes, in order to prevent [[illegitimate children]], [[forced marriage]]s result. Such marriages typically have poorer outcomes than voluntary marriage.
{{globalize section|date=March 2021}}
The public cost of unintended pregnancy is estimated to be about 11 billion dollars per year in short-term medical costs.<ref name="Monea_2011" /> This includes costs of births, one year of infant medical care and costs of fetal loss.<ref name="Monea_2011" /> Preventing unintended pregnancy would save the public over 5 billion dollars per year in short-term medical costs.<ref name="Monea_2011" /> Savings in long-term costs and in other areas would be much larger.<ref name="Monea_2011" />
By another estimate, the direct medical costs of unintended pregnancies, not including infant medical care, was $5 billion in 2002.<ref name="Trussell_2007">{{cite journal | vauthors = Trussell J | title = The cost of unintended pregnancy in the United States | journal = Contraception | volume = 75 | issue = 3 | pages = 168–170 | date = March 2007 | pmid = 17303484 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2006.11.009 }}</ref>
The Brookings Institution conducted research and their results show that taxpayers spend more than $12 billion each year on unintended pregnancies. They also find that, if all unintended pregnancies were prevented, the resulting savings on medical spending alone would equal more than three-quarters of the federal FY 2010 appropriation for the Head Start and Early Head Start programs and would be roughly equivalent to the amount that the federal government spends each year on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/07/unintended-pregnancy-thomas-monea|title=The High Cost of Unintended Pregnancy|newspaper=Brookings |date=2001-11-30|publisher=The Brookings Institution}}</ref> Contraceptive use saved an estimated $19 billion in direct medical costs from unintended pregnancies in 2002.<ref name="Trussell_2007" />


== Prevention ==
In many industrialized nations there is increasing acceptance of premarital sex, [[single parent]]ing, and children born outside wedlock.
{{Main|Family planning}}


Most unintended pregnancies result from not using contraception, or from using contraceptives inconsistently or incorrectly.<ref name="Guttmacher_2019" /> Accordingly, prevention includes comprehensive [[sexual education]], availability of [[family planning]] services, and increased access to a range of effective [[birth control]] methods.
Unintended pregnancy is common as a cause of stress or social stigma in fictional works. It plays a role in many portrayals of [[Illegitimacy in fiction|illegitimacy]] and [[teen pregnancy#Society and culture|teen pregnancy]].


=== Use of effective contraception ===
== See also ==
In the US it is estimated that 52% of unintended pregnancies result from couples not using [[birth control|contraception]] in the month the woman got pregnant, and 43% result from inconsistent or incorrect contraceptive use; only 5% result from contraceptive failure, according to a report from the [[Guttmacher Institute]].<ref name="Speidel_2008" />


Increasing the use of [[long-acting reversible contraceptive]]s (LARCs) (such as IUD and contraceptive implants) decreases the chance of unintended pregnancy by decreasing the chance of incorrect use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/iud/how-effective-are-iuds|title=How effective are IUDs?|website=Planned Parenthood|access-date=2019-09-22}}</ref> Method failure is relatively rare with modern, highly effective contraceptives, and is much more of an issue when such methods are unavailable or not used. In the period from 2001 to 2008, there were notable increases in the use of long-acting methods among younger women.<ref name="Finer_2014" /> (See [[comparison of contraceptive methods]]). Available contraception methods include use of [[birth control pill]]s, a [[condom]], [[intrauterine device]] (IUD, IUC, IUS), [[contraceptive implant]] (Implanon or [[Nexplanon]]), hormonal [[Contraceptive patch|patch]], hormonal [[NuvaRing|ring]], [[cervical cap]]s, [[Diaphragm (contraceptive)|diaphragm]]s, [[spermicide]]s, or [[Sterilization (medicine)|sterilization.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://contraception.about.com/od/contraceptionoverview/g/glossary.htm|title=Contraception|vauthors=Stacey D|publisher=[[About.com]]|access-date=11 October 2009|archive-date=12 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512005316/http://contraception.about.com/od/contraceptionoverview/g/glossary.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> People choose to use a contraceptive method based on method efficacy, medical considerations, side effects, convenience, availability, friends' or family members' experience, religious views, and many other factors.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wyatt KD, Anderson RT, Creedon D, Montori VM, Bachman J, Erwin P, LeBlanc A | title = Women's values in contraceptive choice: a systematic review of relevant attributes included in decision aids | journal = BMC Women's Health | volume = 14 | issue = 1 | pages = 28 | date = February 2014 | pmid = 24524562 | pmc = 3932035 | doi = 10.1186/1472-6874-14-28 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Some cultures limit or discourage access to birth control because they consider it to be morally or politically undesirable.<ref name="Hopkins_2010">{{cite book|title=The Johns Hopkins manual of gynecology and obstetrics| vauthors = Hanson SJ, Burke AE |date=21 December 2010 |publisher= Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |isbn=978-1-60547-433-5 | veditors = Hurt KJ, Guile MW, Bienstock JL, Fox HE, Wallach EE |edition=4th|location=Philadelphia|pages=382–95|chapter=Fertility control: contraception, sterilization, and abortion |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Sg5sXyiBvkC&pg=PR232}}</ref>

While not yet available commercially, the future introduction of effective LARCs for men could have a positive effect on unintended pregnancies.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dorman E, Perry B, Polis CB, Campo-Engelstein L, Shattuck D, Hamlin A, Aiken A, Trussell J, Sokal D | title = Modeling the impact of novel male contraceptive methods on reductions in unintended pregnancies in Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States | journal = Contraception | volume = 97 | issue = 1 | pages = 62–69 | date = January 2018 | pmid = 28887053 | pmc = 5732079 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2017.08.015 }}</ref>

The CDC encourages men and women to formulate a [[reproductive life plan]] to help them avoid unintended pregnancies, improve the health of women, and reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes.<ref name="Johnson_2006">{{cite journal | vauthors = Johnson K, Posner SF, Biermann J, Cordero JF, Atrash HK, Parker CS, Boulet S, Curtis MG | title = Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care--United States. A report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care | journal = MMWR. Recommendations and Reports | volume = 55 | issue = RR-6 | pages = 1–23 | date = April 2006 | pmid = 16617292 | url = https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5506a1.htm | collaboration = A report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care }}</ref>

=== Improving access to effective contraception ===
Providing contraceptives and family planning services at low or no cost to the user helps prevent unintended pregnancies. Many of those at risk of unintended pregnancy have little income, so even though contraceptives are highly cost-effective,<ref name="Trussell_2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Trussell J, Lalla AM, Doan QV, Reyes E, Pinto L, Gricar J | title = Cost effectiveness of contraceptives in the United States | journal = Contraception | volume = 79 | issue = 1 | pages = 5–14 | date = January 2009 | pmid = 19041435 | pmc = 3638200 | doi = 10.1016/j.contraception.2008.08.003 }}</ref> up-front cost can be a barrier. Subsidized family planning services improve the health of the population and saves money for governments and health insurers by reducing medical,<ref name="HP2020FP" /> education, and other costs to society.

In 2006, publicly funded family planning services (Title X, Medicaid, and state funds) helped women avoid 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, thus preventing about 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions.<ref name="guttmacherPubBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contraceptive_serv.html|title=Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States|date=February 2011|publisher=[[Guttmacher Institute]]|access-date=August 12, 2011|archive-date=September 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926025834/http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contraceptive_serv.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Without publicly funded family planning services, the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the United States would be nearly two-thirds higher among women overall and among teens, and the number of unintended pregnancies among lower-class women would nearly double.<ref name="guttmacherPubBC" /> The services provided at publicly funded clinics saved the federal and state governments an estimated $5.1 billion in 2008 in short term medical costs.<ref name="guttmacherPubBC" /> Nationally, every $1.00 invested in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy saved $3.74 in Medicaid expenditures that otherwise would have been needed.<ref name="guttmacherPubBC" /><!-- page 54 -->

In the United States, women who have an unintended pregnancy are more likely to have subsequent unplanned pregnancies.<ref name="ahrq2011" /> Providing family planning and contraceptive services as part of prenatal, postpartum and [[post abortion care]] can help reduce recurrence of unintended pregnancy.

Outside of the United States, providing modern contraceptives to the 201 million women at risk of unintended pregnancy in low income countries who do not have access to effective contraception would cost an estimated US$3.9 billion per year.<ref name="addingitup">{{cite report |url=http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/covers/addingitup.html|title=Adding it Up: The Benefits of Investing In Sexual and Reproductive Health Care| vauthors = Singh S, Darroch JE, Ashford LS |publisher=The [[Alan Guttmacher Institute]] and [[United Nations Population Fund|UNFPA]] |isbn=0-939253-62-3 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090422095415/http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/covers/addingitup.html |year=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-04-22 }}</ref> This expenditure would prevent an estimated 52 million unintended pregnancies annually, preventing 1.5 million [[maternal mortality|maternal]] and child deaths annually, and reduce induced abortions by 64% (25 million per year).<ref name="addingitup" /> Reduced illness related to pregnancy would preserve 27 million [[Quality-adjusted life year|healthy life year]]s, at a cost of $144 per year of healthy life.<ref name="addingitup" />

== History ==

{{See also|History of abortion|History of condoms|Timeline of reproductive rights legislation|}}

Early ways of preventing unintended pregnancy included [[Coitus interruptus|withdrawal]] and various alternatives to intercourse; they are difficult to use correctly and, while better than no method, have high failure rates compared to modern methods.<ref name="AGI1999" /><ref name="Potts_2009">{{cite journal | vauthors = Potts M, Campbell M | journal = Glob. Libr. Women's Med. | issn = 1756-2228 | year = 2009 | doi = 10.3843/GLOWM.10376|title = History of contraception| url = http://www.glowm.com/?p=glowm.cml/section_view&articleid=375 }}</ref> Various devices and medications thought to have [[spermicides|spermicidal]], contraceptive, abortifacient or similar properties were also used.

Abortions have been induced to prevent unwanted births since antiquity,<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51 --> and abortion methods are described in some of the earliest medical texts.<ref name="Potts_2009" /> The degree of safety of early methods relative to the risks of childbirth is unclear.<ref name="Potts_2009" />

Where modern contraceptives are not available, abortion has sometimes been used as a major way of preventing birth. For instance, in much of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics in the 1980s, desired family size was small, but modern contraceptive methods were not readily available, so many couples relied on abortion, which was legal, safe, and readily accessible, to regulate births.<ref name="AGI1999" /> In many cases, as contraceptives became more available, the rate of unintended pregnancy and abortion dropped rapidly during the 1990s.<ref name="AGI1999" />

[[Infanticide]] ('customary [[neonaticide]]') or [[child abandonment|abandonment]] (sometimes in the form of exposure) are other traditional ways of dealing with infants that were not wanted or that a family could not support.<ref name="Potts_2009" /> Opinions on the morality or desirability of these practices have changed throughout history.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the desired number of pregnancies declined as reductions in infant and childhood mortality rates increased the probability that children would reach adulthood. Other factors, such as the level of education and economic opportunities for women, have also led to reductions in the desired number of children.<ref name="AGI1999">{{cite web|url = http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/ib_0599.html | title = Abortion in Context: United States and Worldwide | publisher = Alan Guttmacher Institute | date = May 1999 | access-date = 2011-08-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006143558/https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/ib_0599.html|archive-date=2011-10-06}}</ref> As the desired number of children decreases, couples spend more of their reproductive lives trying to avoid unintended pregnancies.<ref name="AGI1999" />

=== US history ===
US birth rates declined in the 1970s. Factors that are likely to have led to this decline include: The introduction of the [[combined oral contraceptive|birth control pill]] in 1960, and its subsequent rapid increase in popularity; the completion of legalization of contraceptives in the 1960s and early 1970s; the introduction of federal funding for family planning in the 1960s and [[Title X]] in 1970; increased career and educational gains for women and its consequence of increased [[opportunity cost]]s; and the legalization of abortion in 1973. The decline in the birth rate was associated with reductions in the number of children put up for adoption and a reduction in the rate of neonaticide.

* It is unclear to what extent legalization of abortion increased the availability of the procedure.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51 --> It is estimated that before legalization about one million abortions were performed annually.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51 --> Before legalization, abortion was probably one of the most common criminal activities.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51 --> Before legalization, an estimated 1,000 to 10,000 women died each year from complications of poorly performed abortions.<ref name="BestIntent" /> Legalization was followed by a decrease in pregnancy-related deaths in young women, as well as decrease in hospital admissions for incomplete or septic abortions that could be caused by an induced abortion performed by inexperienced practitioners.<ref name="BestIntent" /><!-- page 51 -->
* The infanticide rate during the first hour of life dropped from 1.41 per 100,000 from 1963 to 1972 to 0.44 per 100,000 from 1974 to 1983; the rate during the first month of life also declined, whereas the rate for older infants rose during this time.<ref name="Paul_2009">{{cite book|title=Management of unintended and abnormal pregnancy: comprehensive abortion care|url=https://archive.org/details/managementuninte00paul|url-access=limited| vauthors = Paul M |date=2009-05-11|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=978-1-4051-7696-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/managementuninte00paul/page/n53 34] }}</ref>

The rate of unintended pregnancy declined significantly from 1987 until 1994, due to increased contraceptive use.<ref name="Henshaw_1998" /><ref name="Finer_2006">{{cite journal | vauthors = Finer LB, Henshaw SK | title = Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001 | journal = Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health | volume = 38 | issue = 2 | pages = 90–96 | date = June 2006 | pmid = 16772190 | doi = 10.1363/3809006 | s2cid = 1137347 }}</ref> Since then, the rate has remained relatively unchanged, as described above.<ref name="Finer_2006" />

== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Contraceptive mandate]]
* [[Demographic dividend]]
* [[Demographic dividend]]
* [[Epidemiology of teenage pregnancy]]
* [[Prevalence of teenage pregnancy]]
* [[Feminization of poverty]]
* [[Healthy People program]]
* [[International Conference on Population and Development]]
* [[International Conference on Population and Development]]
* [[Legalized abortion and crime effect]]
* [[Legalized abortion and crime effect]]
** [[The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime]]
** [[The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime]]
* [[Miscarriage]]
* [[Millennium Development Goals]]
* [[Millennium Development Goals]]
* [[Miscarriage]]
* [[Nutrition and pregnancy]]
* [[Nutrition and pregnancy]]
* [[Religious views on birth control]]
* [[Religious views on birth control]]
* [[Reproductive life plan]]
* [[Take Charge]]
* [[Take Charge]]
{{Div col end}}
* [[Wrongful birth]] - legal cause of action by parents of congenitally diseased child who would have chosen not to have the pregnancy or child had their practitioner followed the standard of care in informing them of the risks of the congenital disease.


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book | vauthors = Eisenberg L, Brown SH | title = The best intentions: unintended pregnancy and the well-being of children and families | publisher = National Academy Press | location = Washington, D.C. | year = 1995 | isbn = 978-0-309-05230-6 | url = https://archive.org/details/bestintentionsun0000unse | url-access = registration }}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Mosher WD, Jones J, Abma JC | title = Intended and unintended births in the United States: 1982-2010 | journal = National Health Statistics Reports | issue = 55 | pages = 1–28 | date = July 2012 | pmid = 23115878 | url = https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo53202 }}
{{Refend}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://www.cdc.gov/Reproductivehealth/UnintendedPregnancy/index.htm CDC:Unintended Pregnancy Prevention]
* [https://www.cdc.gov/Reproductivehealth/UnintendedPregnancy/index.htm CDC:Unintended Pregnancy Prevention]
* [https://easyplannedparenting.com/ways-prevent-pregnancy/ Ways to prevent pregnancy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817204535/https://easyplannedparenting.com/ways-prevent-pregnancy/ |date=2017-08-17 }}


{{Women's health|state=collapsed}}
{{reproductive health}}
{{reproductive health}}
{{Pregnancy}}
{{Pregnancy}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Pregnancy]]
[[Category:Birth control]]

[[ca:Embaràs no desitjat]]
[[es:Embarazo no deseado]]

Latest revision as of 11:50, 11 December 2024

Unintended pregnancies are pregnancies that are mistimed or unwanted at the time of conception,[1] also known as unplanned pregnancies.[2][3]

Sexual activity without the use of effective contraception through choice or coercion is the predominant cause of unintended pregnancy. Worldwide, the unintended pregnancy rate is approximately 45% of all pregnancies (for a total of 120 million unintended pregnancies annually), but rates vary in different geographic areas and among different sociodemographic groups.[4][5] Unintended pregnancies may be unwanted pregnancies or mistimed pregnancies.[6] While unintended pregnancies are the main reason for induced abortions,[6] unintended pregnancies may also result in other outcomes, such as live births or miscarriages.

Unintended pregnancy has been linked to numerous poor maternal and child health outcomes, regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy.[6] Efforts to decrease rates of unintended pregnancy have focused on improving access to effective contraception through improved counseling and removing barriers to contraception access.

Definitions

[edit]

Research on unintended pregnancy rates is challenging, as categorizing a pregnancy as "intended" or "unintended" does not capture the many complex considerations that go into a person's or couple's feelings towards the pregnancy itself or their reproductive plans in general.[7] However, for data collection purposes, an "unintended pregnancy" is defined as a pregnancy that occurs either when a woman wanted to become pregnant in the future but not at the time she became pregnant, or one that occurred when she did not want to become pregnant then or at any time in the future.[7]

Conversely, an "intended pregnancy" is one that is consciously desired at the time of conception or sooner.[6][7] For research purposes, all pregnancies not explicitly categorized as "unintended" are combined, including those pregnancies where the pregnant woman feels ambivalent or unsure about the pregnancy.[7] Most sources consider only the intentions of the woman when defining whether a pregnancy is unintended, but some sources also consider the intentions of the male partner.[6][7]

Terming a pregnancy "unintended" does not indicate whether or not a pregnancy is welcomed, or what the outcome of the pregnancy is; unintended pregnancies may end in abortion, miscarriage, or birth.[7]

Epidemiology

[edit]

Global incidence

[edit]

The global rate of unintended pregnancy was estimated at 44% of all pregnancies between 2010 and 2014, corresponding to approximately 62 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women between the ages of 15–44 years old.[4] While unintended pregnancy rates have been slowly declining in most areas of the world,[4] different geographic regions have different estimated unintended pregnancy rates.[4][8] Rates tend to be higher in low-income regions in Latin America and Africa, estimated at 96 and 89 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women, respectively, and lower in higher-income regions such as North America and Europe, estimated at 47 and 41 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women, respectively.[4] Unwanted pregnancies continues to be a major public health issue worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The annual number of unwanted pregnancies in Asia is estimated to be 53.8 million. It is estimated that between 2010 and 2014, around 5.4% of Asian women ages 15 to 44 had unintended pregnancies.[9]

The United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, explains that nearly half of all pregnancies, totalling 121 million each year throughout the world, are unintended.[5]

Incidence by country/region

[edit]

Europe

[edit]

From 1990–1994 to 2010–2014, European rates of unintended pregnancy decreased from approximately 66 such pregnancies per 1000 women ages 15–44 years old to 41.[4] These rates vary between different European countries.

Britain
[edit]

According to a 2013 study approximately 16% of British pregnancies are unplanned, 29% are ambivalent, and 55% are planned.[10]

France
[edit]

In France, 33% of pregnancies are unintended. Of women at risk for unintended pregnancy, only 3% do not use contraception, and 20% use intrauterine devices (IUDs).[11]

Sweden
[edit]

One study from Sweden (2008–2010) showed that the prevalence of unintended pregnancies was 23.2%.[12] One study conducted in Uppsala (2012–2013) found that 12% of pregnancies were fairly or very unplanned.[13]

Russia
[edit]

According to a 2004 study, current pregnancies were termed "desired and timely" by 58% of respondents, while 23% described them as "desired, but untimely", and 19% said they were "undesired".[14]

Asia

[edit]

From 2010–2014, approximately 5.4% of women aged 15–44 years old got pregnant unintentionally, and the number of unintended pregnancies is 53.8 million each year in Asia.[9]

India
[edit]

India, the number of unintended pregnancies has not changed much or been measured in a specific way in the last ten years.[as of?][9] In each of the three rounds of the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), about a quarter of the women in India had unintended pregnancies.[9] Every year, there are about 121 million or 12.1 crore unintended pregnancies around the world. One of every seven of these happens in India, according to a report from the United Nations Population Fund.[15] India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, with a population of about 200 million, has twice as many unwanted births as India as a whole (1.65 vs. 0.80).[16] The level of unmet need for contraception among women in India is consistent with the incidence of unintended pregnancies and the incidence of abortions. These facts highlight the necessity for additional investment to meet the contraceptive needs of women and couples and to ensure access to safe abortion services.[17]

Africa

[edit]

A quarter of unintended pregnancy happens in Africa and the average unintended pregnancy rate in Sub-Saharan Africa is 33.9%.[18]

North America

[edit]

From 1990–1994 to 2010–2014, North American rates of unintended pregnancy decreased from approximately 50 such pregnancies per 1000 women ages 15–44 years old to 47.[4]

United States
[edit]

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 45% of U.S. pregnancies in 2011 were unintended, approximately 2.8 million pregnancies per year.[7] In 2006, most states' rates were between 40 and 65 unintended pregnancies per 1,000 women. The state with the highest rate of unintended pregnancies was Mississippi, with 69 per 1,000 women, followed by California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii and Nevada (66 to 67 per 1,000). New Hampshire had the lowest rate, 36 per 1,000 women, followed by Maine, North Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia (37 to 39 per 1,000 women).[19][20]

Over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancy,[21] and unintended pregnancies result in about 1.3 million abortions per year.[22] In 2001, 44% of unintended pregnancies resulted in births, 42% resulted in induced abortion, and the rest in miscarriage.[23] It is estimated that more than half of US women have had an unintended pregnancy by age 45.[24] One 2012 study found over one-third of living people in the US under 31 years of age (born since 1982) were the result of unintended pregnancies, a rate virtually unchanged from 2002.[25][26]

Unintended pregnancies and births in the United States[27]
Rate per 1000 women.
Year Unintended pregnancies Unintended births
1981 54.2[27] 25[27]
1987 53.5[27] 27[27]
1994 44.7[27] 21[27]
2001 48[28] 23
2008 51[28] 27

Factors associated with unintended pregnancy

[edit]

Unintended pregnancy typically occurs after sexual activity without the use of contraception, or not using it correctly. Such pregnancies may still occur despite using contraception correctly, but are uncommon. For example, in the United States, of all the unintended pregnancies that occurred in 2008, women who used modern contraception consistently accounted for only 5% of the unintended pregnancies, while women who use contraception inconsistently or not at all accounted for 41% and 54% of all unintended pregnancies, respectively.[29]

There are many factors that may influence a person or couple's consistent use of contraception; a woman may not understand her risk of unintended pregnancy, and/or may not be able to access effective birth control to prevent pregnancy. Similarly, she may also not be able to control when/how she engages in sexual activity. Thus, many factors have been associated with higher likelihood of having an unintended pregnancy, as follows.

Younger age

[edit]

Studies across the globe consistently find that younger age (adolescence or young adulthood) increases the likelihood of a pregnancy being unintended or unplanned.[30][31][10][18][32][12]

In the US, younger women who are sexually active are less likely to use contraception than other age groups, and thus are more likely to have unintended pregnancies. Approximately 18% of young women aged 15–19 years old at risk of unintended pregnancy do not use contraception, compared with 13% of women aged 20–24 and 10% of women aged 25–44.[33]

Of the estimated 574,000 teen pregnancies (to young women aged 15–19) in the US in 2011, 75% were unintended.[34] In 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate was 41 per 1,000 women aged 15–19.[34] Because many teens are not sexually active, these estimates understate the risk of unintended pregnancy among teens who are having sex. Calculations that account for sexual activity find that unintended pregnancy rates are highest among sexually active women aged 15–19 years old compared to other age groups.[35] About one-third of unintended teen pregnancies end in abortion.[34]

The unintended pregnancy rate among teens has been declining in the US. Between 2008 and 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate declined 44% among women aged 15–17 years old and 20% among women aged 18–19 years old.[34] This decline is attributed to improved contraceptive use among sexually active teens, rather than changes in sexual activity.[36]

Relationship status

[edit]

Relationship status has a strong correlation with unintended pregnancy, but measures for relationship status vary by study. Some studies find that being single increases the likelihood of experiencing an unintended pregnancy,[18][37][38] some find that not living with a partner increases the likelihood,[12][37] and others find cohabitation with a partner to increase the risk of unintended pregnancy.[39]

In the US, women who are unmarried but live with their partners (cohabiting) have a higher rate of unintended pregnancy compared with both unmarried noncohabiting women (141 vs. 36–54 per 1,000) and married women (29 per 1,000).[7]

Lower income

[edit]

Poverty, lower income, and/or economic hardship increases a woman's risk of unintended pregnancy across the globe.[31][18][32][12]

Poverty and lower income increases a woman's risk of unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy rates among women with incomes less than 100% of the poverty line was 112 per 1,000 in 2011, more than five times higher than the rate among women with incomes of at least or greater than 200% of poverty (20 per 1,000 women).[7]

Minority racial background/ethnicity

[edit]

Women living in countries where they belong to a racial or ethnic minority group frequently have higher unintended pregnancy rates compared to women of the regional majority.[30][31][12]

In the US, women who identify as racial minorities are at increased risk of unintended pregnancy. In 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate for non-Hispanic black women was more than double that of non-Hispanic white women (79 versus 33 per 1,000).[7]

Lower education level

[edit]

Studies across the globe consistently find that women with relatively lower educational attainment are far more likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy than women who are more educated; the level of education education that makes the difference is relative, varying by region and country, as demonstrated by multiple studies.[31][10][18][32][12][37][39][40]

Women without a high school degree had the highest unintended pregnancy rate among any educational level in 2011, at 73 per 1,000, accounting for 45% of all pregnancies in this group. Unintended pregnancy rates decreased with each level of educational attainment.[7][34]

Lifetime abuse, Current domestic abuse, and Non-consensual intercourse

[edit]

Sexual coercion, rape, or even forced pregnancy may be associated with unintended pregnancy, all of which sometimes happens in the context of domestic violence. Studies in various countries have linked intimate partner violence or current abuse,[12][37][38][41] as well as prior abuse[12] (incl. during childhood),[42] to a higher risk of experiencing unintended pregnancy.

A longitudinal study in 1996 of over 4000 women in the United States followed for three years found that the rape-related pregnancy rate was 5.0% among survivors aged 12–45 years. Applying that rate to rapes committed in the United States would indicate that there are over 32,000 pregnancies in the United States as a result of rape each year.[43]

Birth control sabotage is abuse in the form of tampering with contraception or interfering with the use of contraception in order to undermine efforts to prevent pregnancy.[44]

Multiparity / Already having children

[edit]

Women who already have children are more likely to report a pregnancy as unintended. The number of children that makes the difference is relative, varying by region and country, as demonstrated by different studies.[31][18][32][37]

Public health implications

[edit]

In the United States in 2011, 42% of all unintended pregnancies ended in abortion, and 58% ended in birth (not including miscarriages).[7] Regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy, unintended pregnancies have significant negative impacts on individual and public health.

Unintended births

[edit]

Pregnancy, whether intended or unintended, has risks and potential complications. On average, unintended pregnancies that are carried to term result in poorer outcomes for the pregnant woman and for the child than do intended pregnancies.

Missed opportunities for preconception care

[edit]

Unintended pregnancy usually precludes pre-conception counseling and pre-conception care.[45] Patients with unintended pregnancies with preexisting medical comorbidities such as diabetes or autoimmune disease may not be able to optimize control of these conditions before becoming pregnant, which is often associated with poorer outcomes during the resulting pregnancy. Patients taking known teratogenic drugs, such as some of those used for epilepsy or hypertension, may not have the opportunity to change to a non-teratogenic drug regimen before an unintended conception. Unintended pregnancies preclude chance to resolve sexually transmitted infections (STIs) before pregnancy; untreated STIs may be associated with premature delivery or later infection of the newborn.[6]

Late initiation of prenatal care

[edit]

Patients with unintended pregnancies enter prenatal care later.[46][6] Unwanted pregnancies have more delay than mistimed.[6] Patients who present late to prenatal care may also miss the opportunities for genetic testing of the fetus in the second trimester, which can identify abnormal fetuses and may be used in the decision to continue or terminate the pregnancy.

Maternal mental health

[edit]

Women with an unintended pregnancy are more likely to develop depression during or after pregnancy.[47][48][49]

Relationship stress

[edit]

Women with unintended pregnancy are at increased risk of physical violence during pregnancy[47][49] and report feeling greater relationship instability.[50]

Substance use during pregnancy

[edit]
A label on alcoholic drinks promoting zero alcohol during pregnancy

Women with unintended pregnancies are more likely to smoke tobacco,[45] drink alcohol during pregnancy,[6],[51] and binge drink during pregnancy,[45] which results in poorer health outcomes.[6] (See also: fetal alcohol spectrum disorder)

Increased rates of preterm birth and low birth weight

[edit]

Unintended pregnancies are more likely to delivery prematurely,[6][45][49] and have a greater likelihood of low birth weight,[49][52] particularly for unwanted pregnancies.[6][51]

Decreased bonding with infant

[edit]

Unintended pregnancies have been associated with lower mother–child relationship quality.[47][50] (See also maternal bond.)

Decreased breastfeeding

[edit]

Women who deliver unintended pregnancies are less likely to breastfeed,[47][51] which in itself has been associated with a number of improved health outcomes for both mothers and infants.

Increased rates of child neglect and abuse

[edit]

Children born of unintended pregnancies have higher risk of child abuse and neglect.[6][53]

Poorer long-term developmental outcomes

[edit]

Children born of unintended pregnancies are less likely to succeed in school,[21] with significantly lower test scores,[50] more likely to live in poverty and need public assistance,[21] and more likely to have delinquent and criminal behavior.[21]

Adoption

[edit]

Unintended pregnancies may result in an adoption of the infant, where the biological parents (or birth parents) transfer their privileges and responsibilities to the adoptive parents. Birth parents choose adoption when they do not wish to parent the current pregnancy and they prefer to carry the pregnancy to term rather than ending the pregnancy through an abortion.[54] In the United States alone, 135,000 children are adopted each year[55] which represents about 3% of all live births. According to the 2010 census, there were 1,527,020 adopted children in the United States, representing 2.5 percent of all U.S. children.[56] There are two forms of adoption: open adoptions and closed adoptions. Open adoption allows birth parents to know and have contact with the adoptive parents and the adopted child.[57] In a closed adoption, there is no contact between the birth parents and adoptive parents, and information identifying the adoptive parents and the birth parents is not shared. However, non-identifying information (i.e. background and medical information) about the birth parents will be shared with the adoptive parents.[57]

Induced abortions

[edit]

Abortion, the voluntary termination of pregnancy, is one of the primary consequences of unintended pregnancy.[6] A large proportion of induced abortions worldwide are due to unwanted or mistimed pregnancies.[58][59] Unintended pregnancies result in about 42 million induced abortions per year worldwide.[22] In the United States, approximately 42% of all unintended pregnancies ended in abortion.[7] Over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancy.[21] The U.S. states with the highest levels of abortions performed were Delaware, New York and New Jersey, with rates of 40, 38 and 31 per 1,000 women, respectively. High rates were also seen in the states of Maryland, California, Florida, Nevada and Connecticut with rates of 25 to 29 per 1,000 women. The state with the lowest abortion rate was Wyoming, which had less than 1 per 1,000 women, followed by Mississippi, Kentucky, South Dakota, Idaho and Missouri with rates of 5 to 6 abortions per 1,000 women.[60][61]

Abortion carries few health risks when performed in accordance with modern medical techniques.[6][62][63] In higher resource areas where abortion is legal, it has lower morbidity and mortality for the pregnant woman than childbirth.[6][64][65] However, where safe abortions are not available, abortion can contribute significantly to maternal mortality[66] and morbidity.[62] While decisions about abortion may cause some individuals psychological distress,[67] some find a reduction in distress after abortion.[6][68] There is no evidence of widespread psychological harm from abortion.[6][69][70]

Maternal deaths

[edit]

Over the six years between 1995 and 2000 there were an estimated 338 million pregnancies that were unintended and unwanted worldwide (28% of the total 1.2 billion pregnancies during that period).[71] These unwanted pregnancies resulted in nearly 700,000 maternal deaths (approximately one-fifth of maternal deaths during that period). More than one-third of the deaths were from problems associated with pregnancy or childbirth, but the majority (64%) were from complications from unsafe or unsanitary abortion.[71] Most of the deaths occurred in low resource regions of the world, where family planning and reproductive health services were less available.[71] In certain countries with extreme prohibitions on abortions like El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Suriname, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, Laos, the Philippines, Iraq forced women which have unintended pregnancies to commit suicide and its also contributed to maternal deaths.[72]

Costs and potential savings

[edit]

The public cost of unintended pregnancy is estimated to be about 11 billion dollars per year in short-term medical costs.[21] This includes costs of births, one year of infant medical care and costs of fetal loss.[21] Preventing unintended pregnancy would save the public over 5 billion dollars per year in short-term medical costs.[21] Savings in long-term costs and in other areas would be much larger.[21] By another estimate, the direct medical costs of unintended pregnancies, not including infant medical care, was $5 billion in 2002.[73] The Brookings Institution conducted research and their results show that taxpayers spend more than $12 billion each year on unintended pregnancies. They also find that, if all unintended pregnancies were prevented, the resulting savings on medical spending alone would equal more than three-quarters of the federal FY 2010 appropriation for the Head Start and Early Head Start programs and would be roughly equivalent to the amount that the federal government spends each year on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).[74] Contraceptive use saved an estimated $19 billion in direct medical costs from unintended pregnancies in 2002.[73]

Prevention

[edit]

Most unintended pregnancies result from not using contraception, or from using contraceptives inconsistently or incorrectly.[7] Accordingly, prevention includes comprehensive sexual education, availability of family planning services, and increased access to a range of effective birth control methods.

Use of effective contraception

[edit]

In the US it is estimated that 52% of unintended pregnancies result from couples not using contraception in the month the woman got pregnant, and 43% result from inconsistent or incorrect contraceptive use; only 5% result from contraceptive failure, according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute.[22]

Increasing the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) (such as IUD and contraceptive implants) decreases the chance of unintended pregnancy by decreasing the chance of incorrect use.[75] Method failure is relatively rare with modern, highly effective contraceptives, and is much more of an issue when such methods are unavailable or not used. In the period from 2001 to 2008, there were notable increases in the use of long-acting methods among younger women.[28] (See comparison of contraceptive methods). Available contraception methods include use of birth control pills, a condom, intrauterine device (IUD, IUC, IUS), contraceptive implant (Implanon or Nexplanon), hormonal patch, hormonal ring, cervical caps, diaphragms, spermicides, or sterilization.[76] People choose to use a contraceptive method based on method efficacy, medical considerations, side effects, convenience, availability, friends' or family members' experience, religious views, and many other factors.[77] Some cultures limit or discourage access to birth control because they consider it to be morally or politically undesirable.[78]

While not yet available commercially, the future introduction of effective LARCs for men could have a positive effect on unintended pregnancies.[79]

The CDC encourages men and women to formulate a reproductive life plan to help them avoid unintended pregnancies, improve the health of women, and reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes.[80]

Improving access to effective contraception

[edit]

Providing contraceptives and family planning services at low or no cost to the user helps prevent unintended pregnancies. Many of those at risk of unintended pregnancy have little income, so even though contraceptives are highly cost-effective,[81] up-front cost can be a barrier. Subsidized family planning services improve the health of the population and saves money for governments and health insurers by reducing medical,[47] education, and other costs to society.

In 2006, publicly funded family planning services (Title X, Medicaid, and state funds) helped women avoid 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, thus preventing about 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions.[82] Without publicly funded family planning services, the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the United States would be nearly two-thirds higher among women overall and among teens, and the number of unintended pregnancies among lower-class women would nearly double.[82] The services provided at publicly funded clinics saved the federal and state governments an estimated $5.1 billion in 2008 in short term medical costs.[82] Nationally, every $1.00 invested in helping women avoid unintended pregnancy saved $3.74 in Medicaid expenditures that otherwise would have been needed.[82]

In the United States, women who have an unintended pregnancy are more likely to have subsequent unplanned pregnancies.[48] Providing family planning and contraceptive services as part of prenatal, postpartum and post abortion care can help reduce recurrence of unintended pregnancy.

Outside of the United States, providing modern contraceptives to the 201 million women at risk of unintended pregnancy in low income countries who do not have access to effective contraception would cost an estimated US$3.9 billion per year.[83] This expenditure would prevent an estimated 52 million unintended pregnancies annually, preventing 1.5 million maternal and child deaths annually, and reduce induced abortions by 64% (25 million per year).[83] Reduced illness related to pregnancy would preserve 27 million healthy life years, at a cost of $144 per year of healthy life.[83]

History

[edit]

Early ways of preventing unintended pregnancy included withdrawal and various alternatives to intercourse; they are difficult to use correctly and, while better than no method, have high failure rates compared to modern methods.[84][85] Various devices and medications thought to have spermicidal, contraceptive, abortifacient or similar properties were also used.

Abortions have been induced to prevent unwanted births since antiquity,[6] and abortion methods are described in some of the earliest medical texts.[85] The degree of safety of early methods relative to the risks of childbirth is unclear.[85]

Where modern contraceptives are not available, abortion has sometimes been used as a major way of preventing birth. For instance, in much of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics in the 1980s, desired family size was small, but modern contraceptive methods were not readily available, so many couples relied on abortion, which was legal, safe, and readily accessible, to regulate births.[84] In many cases, as contraceptives became more available, the rate of unintended pregnancy and abortion dropped rapidly during the 1990s.[84]

Infanticide ('customary neonaticide') or abandonment (sometimes in the form of exposure) are other traditional ways of dealing with infants that were not wanted or that a family could not support.[85] Opinions on the morality or desirability of these practices have changed throughout history.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the desired number of pregnancies declined as reductions in infant and childhood mortality rates increased the probability that children would reach adulthood. Other factors, such as the level of education and economic opportunities for women, have also led to reductions in the desired number of children.[84] As the desired number of children decreases, couples spend more of their reproductive lives trying to avoid unintended pregnancies.[84]

US history

[edit]

US birth rates declined in the 1970s. Factors that are likely to have led to this decline include: The introduction of the birth control pill in 1960, and its subsequent rapid increase in popularity; the completion of legalization of contraceptives in the 1960s and early 1970s; the introduction of federal funding for family planning in the 1960s and Title X in 1970; increased career and educational gains for women and its consequence of increased opportunity costs; and the legalization of abortion in 1973. The decline in the birth rate was associated with reductions in the number of children put up for adoption and a reduction in the rate of neonaticide.

  • It is unclear to what extent legalization of abortion increased the availability of the procedure.[6] It is estimated that before legalization about one million abortions were performed annually.[6] Before legalization, abortion was probably one of the most common criminal activities.[6] Before legalization, an estimated 1,000 to 10,000 women died each year from complications of poorly performed abortions.[6] Legalization was followed by a decrease in pregnancy-related deaths in young women, as well as decrease in hospital admissions for incomplete or septic abortions that could be caused by an induced abortion performed by inexperienced practitioners.[6]
  • The infanticide rate during the first hour of life dropped from 1.41 per 100,000 from 1963 to 1972 to 0.44 per 100,000 from 1974 to 1983; the rate during the first month of life also declined, whereas the rate for older infants rose during this time.[86]

The rate of unintended pregnancy declined significantly from 1987 until 1994, due to increased contraceptive use.[27][87] Since then, the rate has remained relatively unchanged, as described above.[87]

See also

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References

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Further reading

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