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A longitudinal study of unplanned pregnancy in a maternity hospital setting
Author(s) -
McKeating Aoife,
Crosby David A.,
Collins Martha,
O'Higgins Amy,
McMahon Léan,
Turner Michael J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.08.012
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , obstetrics , odds ratio , confidence interval , logistic regression , observational study , cohort study , fertility , family planning , population , gynecology , research methodology , genetics , environmental health , pathology , biology
Objective To review family planning in a cohort of women who delivered a second child within 3 years of their first. Methods A longitudinal, observational study included women aged at least 18 years who had delivered a singleton weighing at least 500 g in 2009 after their first pregnancy at a hospital in Dublin, Ireland, and who returned to the hospital for prenatal care for a second pregnancy before January 2012. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the effect of maternal characteristics on pregnancy intention. Results Of 3284 primigravidas who delivered in 2009, 1220 (37.1%) returned with a second pregnancy. The second pregnancy was unplanned in 248 (20.3%) women, and both pregnancies were unplanned in 124 (10.2%). The second pregnancy was more likely to be unplanned in women whose first pregnancy was also unplanned than in those whose first was planned (adjusted odds ratio 6.5; 95% confidence interval 4.6–8.4; P < 0.001). Among the 99 women with recurrent unplanned pregnancy who had not been using contraception before the first pregnancy, 85 (85.9%) were also not using contraception before the second. Conclusion Women whose first pregnancy is unplanned are at increased risk of subsequent unplanned pregnancies. Postnatal contraceptive advice in this high‐risk group should be prioritized.