Unwanted Pregnancy – Everything You Need to Know

An unplanned pregnancy can be a stressful and emotional experience, especially if you’re not prepared. You may find that it feels like a constant responsibility. Many women don’t enjoy feeling this way and think they can’t handle a child. But you can in both cases when it is intended and unintended!

Effects of Unintended Pregnancy

The risk of unintended pregnancy occurs when an individual undergoes sexual intercourse and does not use birth control methods. Pregnancy rates can be relatively high among adolescents due to sexual and reproductive health, as well as increased levels of sexual activity. Pregnancy may also result when intercourse takes place outside of the context of a marital or other committed relationship. Unintended pregnancy has several health implications, including an increased risk of miscarriage, birth defects, maternal complications, such as hemorrhage and eclampsia, as well as maternal death. Maternal death is especially high in countries with inadequate health care systems and poor quality or lack of health services. Let’s dive into each of these so that you have an idea. In the meanwhile, you can use a test for pregnancy to know your current reproductive status.

Miscarriage

Unintended pregnancy has a statistically significant effect on the risk of miscarriage. In a meta-analysis of 17 epidemiological studies published between 1989 and 2004, the relative risk of miscarriage among women of reproductive age who had an unintended pregnancy was 4.9 times higher than that among those who had planned to have a pregnancy (95% confidence interval, 4.1-5.8; P<0.0001). The risk of miscarriage also increased as the time between pregnancy recognition and conception increased (relative risk, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-2.6). 

The rate of unintended pregnancy and the time between conception and birth were also associated with a significantly increased risk of miscarriage. According to another meta-analysis of 12 studies, the cumulative rate of miscarriage within 12 weeks after a first pregnancy was 19.6% (95% confidence interval, 14.2%-25.2%) among women who had an unintended pregnancy, as opposed to 12.5% (95% confidence interval, 8.6%-17.4%) among those who had planned to become pregnant.

Birth Defects

Unexplained defects in a newborn are the most frequent kind of birth defects, and the most common type is a birth defect of the heart (e.g., congenital heart disease). Among all live births, birth defects are about 14% in the United States. Unintended pregnancy is estimated to be a risk factor for fetal congenital heart disease by about 10%. A prospective study found that women who had access to contraception and became pregnant without intending to conceive had a birth defect rate of 8.8%. When they used hormonal methods of contraception, they had a 9.4% birth defect rate, and the rate was 22.5% among women who used the implantable contraceptive method. The implantable method of contraception for pregnancy occurs to provide the best protection for women against fetal congenital heart disease. 

Maternal Death

An unintended pregnancy can be the cause of maternal death or severe morbidity. In the United States, maternal mortality increased after 1973 due to reductions in the use of prenatal care and family planning services, increased rates of unintended pregnancy, and increased rates of pregnancy in teens. As maternal mortality declined in the 1990s, the number of maternal deaths increased again due to increased rates of pregnancies in adolescents and the use of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP), which is known to increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy and bleeding.

Women who have an unintended pregnancy are significantly more likely to die during pregnancy than women who do not become pregnant unintentionally. Among sexually active women in the United States who deliver a live-born infant, the maternal death rate is 11 times higher among women who do not have a planned pregnancy and 1.6 times higher among women who do not receive adequate prenatal care than among women who do. According to recent stats, the number of unintended pregnancies among U.S. women is 11.8 million annually.

Complications During Pregnancy

There are several maternal complications of unintended pregnancy in women aged between 25 and 35. Thus, unintended pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure (e.g., pre-eclampsia), as well as increased rates of infection, premature rupture of the membrane, prolonged rupture of the membrane, postpartum hemorrhage, and the need for emergency surgery. In addition to the increased risk of birth defects and maternal death, an unintended pregnancy increases the risk of some postpartum complications, including premature membrane rupture and episiotomy.

Increased Risk of Fetal Loss

Unintended pregnancy has significantly increased the risk of fetal loss in the first trimester. The rates of first-trimester fetal loss among pregnant women unintentionally were 2.5% compared with 0.4% among those with a planned pregnancy. According to a systematic review of studies on the risk of first-trimester fetal loss among women who have an unintended pregnancy, the risk is higher among women who have an unplanned pregnancy and who do not receive adequate prenatal care or contraceptive counselling. 

How to Prevent Unintended Pregnancy

It may seem like you have no control over your pregnancy, but, in fact, you have a lot of control and can avoid pregnancy. And it all depends on how you manage it. Some ways of using the pill, a condom, and natural birth control can help you avoid pregnancy. Let’s check them all so that you get improved access to the option that works best for you.

Natural Birth Control

There are three types of natural birth control and contraceptive methods. Some have to be taken every day like the pill, and some have to be taken only sometimes, like condoms. It depends on you how often you want to use them.

Pill Pregnancy Prevention

The pill is by far the most common pregnancy control measure; however, it isn’t the only one. If you want a little bit more protection, you can use an IUD or another form of pill. There are also pills that just offer protection for a few days, but there is no protection for several weeks. So you will need to take pills regularly.

Condom Pregnancy Prevention

You can use a condom when you’re having sex. There are many different kinds of condoms, so you will definitely have more than plenty of options to choose from. There are even condoms made for oral sex!