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Subsequent Unintended Pregnancy Among US Women Who Receive or Are Denied a Wanted Abortion
Author(s) -
Aztlan Evelyn Angel,
Foster Diana Greene,
Upadhyay Ushma
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1111/jmwh.12723
Subject(s) - unintended pregnancy , abortion , pregnancy , medicine , miscarriage , obstetrics , hazard ratio , demography , cohort study , confidence interval , gynecology , family planning , population , environmental health , research methodology , pathology , sociology , biology , genetics
Seventeen percent of women in the United States experience more than one unintended pregnancy in their lifetimes. However, few studies examine how the resolution of unintended pregnancy, whether in birth or abortion, affects the likelihood of a subsequent unintended pregnancy. Our objective was to determine whether receiving or being denied a wanted abortion is associated with subsequent unintended pregnancy. Methods The Turnaway Study, a 5‐year, prospective cohort study, followed women who sought an abortion at one of 30 abortion facilities across the United States between 2008 and 2010. Secondary analysis of the Turnaway data analyzed the effects of various factors on time to subsequent unintended pregnancy. Results By 5 years, the rate of unintended pregnancy was 42 per 100 women with no difference between those who received and those who were denied a wanted abortion. Women aged 35 to 46 years (vs those aged 20‐24 years), women with a college degree (vs women who had completed high school or obtained a general education diploma), and foreign‐born (vs native‐born) women had a reduced rate of a subsequent unplanned pregnancy (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16‐0.57; AHR, 0.54, 95% CI, 0.30‐0.97; AHR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.25‐0.77, respectively). Higher parity and a history of depression were positively associated with a higher rate of subsequent unintended pregnancy. There was no difference in the outcomes of these unintended pregnancies by study group; approximately one‐sixth ended in miscarriage and one‐quarter of subsequent unintended pregnancies ended in abortion. Discussion Neither receiving nor being denied abortion is associated with subsequent unintended pregnancy risk. Other factors such as nativity, parity, age, and mental health history are associated with multiple unintended pregnancies. Ensuring access to abortion services will not increase the likelihood that women will experience subsequent unintended pregnancies.