Unprotected Intercourse among Women Wanting to Avoid Pregnancy: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Beliefs

Biggs, M. Antonia; Karasek, Deborah; Foster, Diana Greene

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2012.03.003

Cited by 57 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Our findings are consistent with other recent data which have identified perceptions of low fecundity as a common reason for contraceptive non-use. 32–34 As in this study, misperceptions about personal pregnancy risk seem to arise from having had previous unprotected intercourse without conception and thus assuming sub-fecundity rather than from beliefs that unprotected sex is a low-risk activity. Thus, counseling strategies that query and address women’s misperceptions about subfertility may represent an opportunity to help women reduce their personal risk of unintended pregnancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“It just happens”: a qualitative study exploring low-income women’s perspectives on pregnancy intention and planning

et al. 2015

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Objective Unintended pregnancy is common and disproportionately occurs among low-income women. We conducted a qualitative study with low-income women to better typologize pregnancy intention, understand the relationship between pregnancy intention and contraceptive use, and identify the contextual factors that shape pregnancy intention and contraceptive behavior. Study design Semi-structured interviews were conducted with low-income, African-American and white women aged 18–45 recruited from reproductive health clinics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to explore factors that influence women’s pregnancy-related behaviors. Narratives were analyzed using content analysis and the constant comparison method. Results Among the 66 participants (36 African-American and 30 white), we identified several factors that may impede our public health goal of increasing the proportion of pregnancies that are consciously desired and planned. First, women do not always perceive that they have reproductive control and therefore do not necessarily formulate clear pregnancy intentions. Second, the benefits of a planned pregnancy may not be evident. Third, because preconception intention and planning do not necessarily occur, decisions about the acceptability of a pregnancy are often determined after the pregnancy has already occurred. Finally, even when women express a desire to avoid pregnancy, their contraceptive behaviors are not necessarily congruent with their desires. We also identified several clinically relevant and potentially modifiable factors that help to explain this intention-behavior discrepancy, including women’s perceptions of low fecundity and their experiences with male partner contraceptive sabotage. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the current conceptual framework that views pregnancy-related behaviors from a strict planned behavior perspective may be limited, particularly among low-income populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“It just happens”: a qualitative study exploring low-income women’s perspectives on pregnancy intention and planning

et al. 2015

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“…This hypothesis, however, could also explain a rise in abortions: women who are motivated to prevent pregnancy are also those motivated to seek abortion when faced with an unintended pregnancy. Moreover, even when women are motivated to prevent pregnancy, some may still engage in unprotected intercourse for a number of reasons ranging from misunderstanding their risk of experiencing an unintended pregnancy to lack of convenient and affordable access to effective contraceptive methods [31,32]. The results of our study are consistent with the Jones and Jerman hypothesis perhaps because women in Iowa, unlike women in other states, had greater access to no-cost contraception in a broad range of clinics and locations through the Medicaid Waiver and Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did increasing use of highly effective contraception contribute to declining abortions in Iowa?

et al. 2015

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“…82 Furthermore, nearly half of women in the same sample engaged in unprotected intercourse because of perceived infertility. 83 Women's perceptions of infertility may result from having had previous episodes of unprotected intercourse in which conception did not occur, especially in light of gross overestimations of the expected chance of pregnancy from a single act of unprotected intercourse. More research is needed to determine how best to communicate this complex topic which involves both reproductive biology and advanced numeracy.…”

Section: What Are Best Practices For Contraceptive Counseling?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contraceptive Counseling

Dehlendorf¹,

Krajewski²,

Borrero³

2014

Clinical Obstetrics &Amp; Gynecology

294

151

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Improving the quality of contraceptive counseling is one strategy to prevent unintended pregnancy. We identify aspects of relational and task-oriented communication in family planning care that can assist providers in meeting their patients’ needs. Approaches to optimizing women's experiences of contraceptive counseling include working to develop a close, trusting relationship with patients and using a shared decision-making approach that focuses on eliciting and responding to patient preferences. Providing counseling about side effects and using strategies to promote contraceptive continuation and adherence can also help optimize women's use of contraception.

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Unprotected Intercourse among Women Wanting to Avoid Pregnancy: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Beliefs

Cited by 57 publications

References 26 publications

“It just happens”: a qualitative study exploring low-income women’s perspectives on pregnancy intention and planning

“It just happens”: a qualitative study exploring low-income women’s perspectives on pregnancy intention and planning

Did increasing use of highly effective contraception contribute to declining abortions in Iowa?

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