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


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Erol
Nermin
N
Aydin Provincial Health Directorate, Aydin, Turkey.
Durusoy
Raika
R
Ergin
Işıl
I
Döner
Banu
B
Ciçeklioğlu
Meltem
M
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned / Q000523:psychology; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted / Q000523:psychology; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey