Unplanned pregnancies in a midwestern community.

Despite widespread birth control availability and increasing emphasis on sex education, a large proportion of childbearing continues to be unplanned. Using an anonymous questionnaire, unplanned pregnancies were studied in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Of 1,002 women who completed questionnaires, 56 percent had had one or more unplanned pregnancies, and 44 percent of all pregnancies were found to be unplanned. This study confirms the findings of other studies which have shown a similar proportion of unplanned pregnancies. More unplanned pregnancies occur in the younger, lower socioeconomic population. Women generally consider their lives unchanged or improved because of these unplanned births. However, unhealthy aspects of some unplanned pregnancies include self-blame and negative feelings toward both the father and baby. Furthermore, a considerable number of young women lack adequate birth control knowledge, and they desire more family planning information from their physicians.