Unintended pregnancy in the United States: Incidence and disparities, 2006

Background The incidence of unintended pregnancy is among the most essential health status indicators in the field of reproductive health. One ongoing goal of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is to reduce unintended pregnancy, but the national rate has not been estimated since 2001. Study Design We combined data on women’s pregnancy intentions from the 2006—08 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) with a 2008 national survey of abortion patients, data on births from the National Center for Health Statistics, induced abortions from a national abortion provider census, miscarriages estimated from the NSFG, and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Results Nearly half (49%) of pregnancies were unintended in 2006, up slightly from 2001 (48%). The unintended pregnancy rate increased to 52 per 1,000 women aged 15—44 years old in 2006, from 50 in 2001. Disparities in unintended pregnancy rates among subgroups persisted, and women who were 18—24 years old, poor, or cohabiting had rates two to three times that of the national rate. The unintended pregnancy rate declined notably for teens 15—17 years old. The proportion of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion decreased from 47% in 2001 to 43% in 2006, and the unintended birth rate increased from 23 to 25 per 1,000 women 15—44 years old. Conclusions Since 2001, the U.S. has not made progress reducing unintended pregnancy. Rates increased for nearly all groups and remain high overall. Efforts to help women and couples plan their pregnancies, such as increasing access to effective contraceptives, should target groups at greatest risk of unintended pregnancy, particularly poor and cohabiting women.