Oral

Over half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, thus understanding factors that are related to pregnancy intention is critical. As this session shows, gaps in research remain. The first paper analyses the two common dimensions of unintended pregnancy – unwanted and mistimed – that are often lumped together. Their analysis suggests that these dimensions represent differing underlying attitudes about a pregnancy that likely have differing implications for decisions about pregnancy outcomes. Another paper merges individual and contextual data to assess if any groups of married women had a higher probably of unintended pregnancy. The authors note the importance of the findings for improving counseling and services for married couples. Another paper assesses the influence of psychological health on pregnancy intention, measuring pregnancy intention, perceived racism, depression and “John Henryism,” which refers to prolonged, high-intensity effort to cope with difficult psychological stressors. The final paper explores the phenomenon that both women and men and want and not want pregnancy at the same time and that this ambivalence contributes to intermittent contraceptive use and unintended pregnancy.

Session Objectives: • Understand how current literature fails to adequately explain the intermittent use of contraceptive methods and how future research could be improved. • Articulate some of the sexual processes through which pregnancy ambivalence among females and males leads to inconsistent contraceptive use or abandonment of contraception. • Explore key dimensions in pregnancy intentions and distinguish between dimensions such as unwanted and unintended. • Identify the factors that could predict unintended pregnancy among married women and the importance of including partners in counseling. • Understand the influence of psychological factors on pregnancy intention. • Discuss the implications of pregnancy intentions on outcomes.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing