A pilot study of women's knowledge of pregnancy health risks: implications for contraception

Awareness of danger signs and symptoms of pregnancy complication among women in Jordan

“…This observation is in agreement with other studies [3,6] that reported an improvement in women's awareness in relation to many danger signs and symptoms (specifically, mild vaginal bleeding, dizziness, and vomiting) that had long been regarded as normal-a misguidance transmitted mostly by close family or neighbors to pregnant women [6,7].…”

“…Approximately 15% of pregnant women who experience complications are at risk of developing poor, yet preventable, pregnancy outcomes [2]. Enabling pregnant women to recognize early signs and symptoms of pregnancy complication is a primary step toward seeking timely obstetric care before the lives of mothers or their fetuses are endangered [3][4][5]. Studies in obstetrics indicate that pregnancy complications may not be regarded as abnormal by all women, owing to a lack of perception regarding important early danger signs and symptoms [6,7].…”

Reproductive Life Planning and Preconception Care 2015: Attitudes of English-Speaking Family Planning Patients

“…58 The lack of an appreciation for medical preparation for pregnancy are also consistent with the fact that women are often not aware of the health risks of pregnancy, so that they do not understand any need to be evaluated or treated before conception. 59,60 Many of the women, who did mention the need for medical care, preconceptionally cited someone they knew who had experienced medical complications during pregnancy-such as diabetes and high blood pressure.…”

“…In previous work, we have found that only half of women know that the risks of diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood clots rise in pregnancy. 59 Mittal et al reported that when women with chronic diseases were counseled, they reported a significant increase in their understanding of the risks of pregnancy and their ability to make choices about their reproductive health. 61 Another important implication of the lack of recognition of the need for medical preparation for pregnancy is that even though clinicians understand how important it is to minimize social and financial stressors for women as part of preconception care, women themselves would not think to seek advice for those problems from medical clinicians.…”

Knowledge and Attitudes about Contraception and Abortion in Canada, US, UK, France and Australia

“…The use of contraception and abortion are common, but numerous studies have shown that women have poor knowledge about the safety and risks of both contraception and abortion [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Two recent studies, one from Canada and one from the United States, have shown that attitudes about abortion, specifically the belief that abortion should be restricted, is associated with poorer knowledge about contraception and abortion [9,10].…”