Abstract
Unintended pregnancies are a worldwide problem, which disproportionately impact developing countries. Studies estimate that 41% of the 208 million pregnancies that occurred in 2008 were unintended. Globally, 86 million pregnancies were unintended, of which 41 million ended in abortion, 33 million unplanned births and 11 million miscarriages. The rates of unintended pregnancy are highest in sub regions in Latin America and Caribbean, South America, Southern Africa and North America. Rates of unintended pregnancies are often the result of limited access to and incorrect use of contraception. While each country has unique factors that contribute to unintended pregnancies, there are geographic and economic trends. It is clear that the impact of unintended pregnancy is greatest in developing countries and it is important to focus on unmet need for contraception in these countries. In developed countries, education and strategies to improve consistent use of contraception need to be stressed. Increasing usage of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) will decrease unintended pregnancies in developed and developing countries.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Key issues
• Unintended pregnancies are a worldwide problem which impact developed and developing countries alike.
• Unintended pregnancies have long-term negative physical, mental health and economic effects.
• There are a number of factors which are related to the low levels of contraceptive use seen in some developing countries: low education levels, young age at first intercourse, perceived low risk of pregnancy, reports of infrequent sexual activity, postpartum amenorrhea and opposition of female or males to contraception.
• Long-acting reversible contraception methods are not dependent on individual or couple compliance, therefore, providing higher contraceptive effectiveness and should be offered to nearly all women.
• The increased use of effective, long-term reversible contraception can have dramatic effects on unintended pregnancy and abortion in industrialized countries and an even greater impact in the developing world.