Comparison of unintended and intended pregnancy outcomes

Outcomes of unintended pregnancies may endanger reproductive health. Studies have shown that women with unintended pregnancies are less likely to care for their health promotion activities, adequate nutrition and their fetus’ health.The objective of this cross sectional study was to compare unintended and intended pregnancy outcomes.A descriptive design was used for this study. A sample of 225 women attended to Tehran hospitals in 2007 were included in the study. Participants of the study were selected by stratified sampling method. An information form was used to collect data. Its validity and reliability were achieved by content and test-retest methods, respectively. Pregnancy outcomes including birth weight, height, head and chest circumference and Apgar score were investigated. Data analysis was done using SPSS 15 and t test, 2 and factor analysis. The mean age of participants was 25.86 (SD=4.6) years and 28% of participants reported their pregnancy as unintended. There was a significant association between unintended pregnancy and head circumference, p<0.05. Although, there were no significant association between unintended pregnancy and the other outcomes, these outcomes were poorer in the unintended pregnancy group as compared to the intended pregnancy group. With regard to these results, it was hoped that the results of this study could emphasis on the efficiency of our data as a robust basis for future interventions regarding preventive strategies to decrease unintended pregnancy