Prevalence of unintended pregnancy and needs for family planning among married adolescent girls living in urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dedicated to saving lives, icddr,b is an international public health research organisation located in Bangladesh. Through the generation of knowledge and translation of research into treatment, training, and policy advocacy, icddr,b addresses some of the most critical health concerns facing the world today. www.icddrb.org The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees. www.popcouncil.org unintended pregnancy and needs for family planning among married adolescents girls living in urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh " STEP UP Research Report. Dhaka: icddr,b. The authors would also like to thank Partners in Population and Development (PPD) for their role in disseminating the preliminary findings of the report at the national level. icddr,b is thankful to the Governments of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Sweden and the UK for providing core/unrestricted support. Early marriage and early childbearing in Bangladesh has led to an adolescent fertility rate that is among the highest in the world and are also associated with high levels of unintended pregnancy (UP). Although research exists on UP and contraceptive use among married adolescent girls in Bangladesh, studies that focus on vulnerable groups such as married adolescent girls living in urban slums is limited. This study examined the prevalence and basic underlying factors of UP among married adolescent girls in five urban slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The specific objectives of the study were to: (1) document the prevalence of UP among married adolescent girls aged 15-19 years living in urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh; (2) identify the factors associated with or which contribute to UP among urban married adolescent girls; (3) estimate the proportion of married adolescent girls who have an unmet need for family planning (FP) services; and (4) explore the barriers to access and effective use of FP and menstrual regulation (MR) services among married adolescent girls in urban slums. The study was conducted between May through September 2013 and had two components. The first component involved a quantitative survey among 1,008 married adolescent girls aged 15-19 years …