Abstract
Objectives 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.
Methods 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.
Results 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.
Conclusion 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.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the administrator of the Konak Maternity Hospital, Dr Uzeyir Kırca, for his support for this study.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.