Unintended pregnancy and prenatal care: a study from a maternity hospital in Turkey

To evaluate factors associated with pregnancy intention and its effects on source, content and adequacy of prenatal care for women who delivered in a large maternity hospital in Izmir, Turkey.

This cross-sectional survey was carried out using a questionnaire administered face-to-face to 351 women who had given birth in Konak Maternity Hospital in May 2002.

Nearly half (47.3%) of the pregnancies were unintended: 31.3% were mistimed, and 16.0% unwanted. Women's and husbands' older age and lower education, lower social class, women's recent migration to Izmir, lower household income and absence of social security had a negative impact on pregnancy intention. Women with unwanted pregnancies had started procreating earlier; they had more pregnancies, deliveries, children and intentional abortions (p < 0.05). Number and contents of prenatal visits increased as intention status improved. When controlled for socio-demographic variables, women with unwanted pregnancies had less prenatal care, received less education during prenatal visits and had less iron and vitamin supplementation (p < 0.05) whereas mistimed pregnancies did not significantly differ from intended pregnancies.

Unwanted pregnancies constitute a risk group that should be identified early in pregnancy. Ensuring an adequate and satisfactory prenatal care for all requires appropriate measures to be taken by public health authorities.