title: Pregnancy intendedness and the association with physical, sexual and emotional abuse - a European multi-country cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unintended pregnancies are common and when not resulting in a termination of pregnancy may lead to unintended childbirth. Unintended pregnancies are associated with increased health risks, also for women for whom pregnancy continues to childbirth. Our objective was to present the prevalence of unintended pregnancy in six European countries among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care, and to investigate the association with a history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cross-sectional study, of 7102 pregnant women who filled out a questionnaire during pregnancy as part of a multi-country cohort study (Bidens) with the participating countries: Belgium, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Sweden. A validated instrument, the Norvold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAq) consisting of 10 descriptive questions measured abuse. Pregnancy intendedness was assessed using a single question asking women if this pregnancy was planned. Cross-tabulation, Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression analysis were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately one-fifth (19.2 %) of all women reported their current pregnancy to be unintended. Women with an unintended pregnancy were significantly younger, had less education, suffered economic hardship, had a different ethnic background from the regional majority and more frequently were not living with their partner. The prevalence of an unintended pregnancy among women reporting any lifetime abuse was 24.5 %, and 38.5 % among women reporting recent abuse. Women with a history of any lifetime abuse had significantly higher odds of unintended pregnancy, also after adjusting for confounding factors, AOR for any lifetime abuse 1.41 (95 % CI 1.23-1.60) and for recent abuse AOR 2.03 (95 % CI 1.54-2.68).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women who have experienced any lifetime abuse are significantly more likely to have an unintended pregnancy. This is particularly true for women reporting recent abuse, suggesting that women living in a violent relationship have less control over their fertility.
authors.affiliation: Institutt for Health, Nutrition and Management, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway. Mirjam.lukasse@Hioa.no.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lukasse
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. Made.Laanpere@ut.ee.|Tartu University Hospital Women's Clinic, Tartu, Estonia. Made.Laanpere@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Made
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laanpere
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. Helle.Karro@kliinikum.ee.|Tartu University Hospital Women's Clinic, Tartu, Estonia. Helle.Karro@kliinikum.ee.
authors.forename: Helle
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karro
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. Hildurkr@simnet.is.
authors.forename: Hildur
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kristjansdottir
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. am.schroll@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anne-Mette
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schroll
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. AnSofie.VanParys@ugent.be.
authors.forename: An-Sofie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Van Parys
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden. anne-marie.wangel@mah.se.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wangel
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Berit.Schei@ntnu.no.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. Berit.Schei@ntnu.no.
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004957:Estonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D036801:Parturition / Q000523:psychology; D000066550:Physical Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned / Q000523:psychology*; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / Q000453:epidemiology; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires