Unintended pregnancy associated with unhealthy behaviors

Article

Women with unintended pregnancies are more likely than women with intentional pregnancies to continue or initiate unhealthy behaviors after they know they are pregnant.

Women with unintended pregnancies are more likely than women with intentional pregnancies to continue or initiate unhealthy behaviors after they know they are pregnant.

Investigators interviewed about 4,000 mothers of infants born from 1997 through 2002 as part of the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. About 40% of the women interviewed said that they had not intended to become pregnant, including those who were ambivalent about their pregnancy or thought it was mistimed.

Compared with mothers with intended pregnancies, a higher proportion of mothers with unintended pregnancies reported smoking cigarettes, being exposed to secondhand smoke at home, and using illicit drugs before and after the diagnosis of pregnancy, and they were less likely to discontinue unhealthy behaviors after they realized that they were pregnant. Further, a larger proportion of women with unintended pregnancies did not take folic acid-containing vitamins before or after conception.

Investigators noted that the study's findings highlight the importance of preventing unintended pregnancies as a means of improving infant health.

Dott M, Rasmussen SA, Hogue CJ, Reefhuis J; National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Association between pregnancy intention and reproductive-health related behaviors before and after pregnancy recognition, National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2002. Matern Child Health J. 2010;14(3):373-381.

Recent Videos
How advancements in IVF are impacting embryologist workload and patient care | Image Credit: fertility.coopersurgical.com/our_experts
Study finds no causal link between maternal health in pregnancy and autism risk | Image Credit: med.nyu.edu/faculty.
Mirvie's RNA platform revolutionizes detection of fetal growth restriction | Image Credit: wexnermedical.osu.edu
How early genetic testing empowers parents and improves outcomes | Image Credit: tuftsmedicine.org
Dallas Reed highlights trends and barriers in prenatal genetic testing | Image Credit: tuftsmedicine.org
How maternal fetal medicine specialists improve outcomes for high-risk pregnancies | Image Credit: profiles.mountsinai.org
How the cobas liat assay panels improve STI detection | Image Credit: labqualityconfab.
Screening-to-diagnosis interval vital for gestational diabetes outcomes | Image Credit: ultracon2024.eventscribe.net
Henri M. Rosenberg, MD
Medical experts personalize contraceptive options for complex cases | Image Credit: findcare.ahn.org
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.