title: Direct costs of unintended pregnancy in the Russian federation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2010, almost every third pregnancy in Russia was terminated, indicating that unintended pregnancy (UP) is a public health problem.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to estimate the direct cost of UP to the healthcare system in Russia and the proportion attributable to using unreliable contraception.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cost model was built, adopting a generic payer perspective with a 1-year time horizon. The analysis cohort was defined as women of childbearing age between 18 and 44 years actively seeking to avoid pregnancy. Model inputs were derived from published sources or government statistics with a 2012 cost base. To estimate the number of UPs attributable to unreliable methods, the model combined annual typical use failure rates and age-adjusted utilization for each contraceptive method. Published survey data was used to adjust the total cost of UP by the number of UPs that were mistimed rather than unwanted. Scenario analysis considered alternate allocation of methods to the reliable and unreliable categories and estimate of the burden of UP in the target sub-group of women aged 18-29 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The model estimated 1,646,799 UPs in the analysis cohort (women aged 18-44 years) with an associated annual cost of US$783 million. The model estimated 1,019,371 UPs in the target group of 18-29 years, of which 88 % were attributable to unreliable contraception. The total cost of UPs in the target group was estimated at approximately US$498 million, of which US$441 million could be considered attributable to the use of unreliable methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cost of UP attributable to use of unreliable contraception in Russia is substantial. Policies encouraging use of reliable contraceptive methods could reduce the burden of UP.
authors.affiliation: IMS Health, 210 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JY, UK.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lowin
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jarrett
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dimova
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ignateva
authors.forename: Vitaly
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Omelyanovsky
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filonenko
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000191:economics*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003267:Contraception / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D012426:Russia; D055815:Young Adult