Social class, religion and contraceptive failure in a sample of pregnant women in Brisbane

The mental health of women 6 months after they give birth to an unwanted baby: a longitudinal study

This study reports a longitudinal prospective study of the impact of an unwanted pregnancy on the mental health of the mother. Data are derived from a Brisbane, Australian sample of 8556 mothers who were enrolled at their first clinic visit (mean gestation 18 weeks) and then interviewed again some 3-5 days after the birth and when the baby was 6 months of age. Standard scales of mental health were administered on each of these occasions and mothers whose babies were unwanted were compared with the rest of the sample. The results indicate that mothers of unwanted children have somewhat higher rates of anxiety and depression than the comparison group, but that the magnitude of the mental health differences between the two groups: (a) diminishes over the period of the follow-up, (b) may be partly attributable to the prior poor mental health of women giving birth to an unplanned and unwanted baby, (c) is such that relatively few women who give birth to an unwanted baby experience mental health problems. The paper considers the implications of these results for health planners, notes the absence of contrary data and the need to acknowledge that these results may reflect situational factors which are characteristic of but not necessarily limited to Brisbane.

A prospective longitudinal study of social, psychological and obstetric factors in pregnancy: response rates and demographic characteristics of the 8556 respondents

This paper introduces the Mater Misericordiae Mothers' Hospital-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a prospective study of 8556 pregnant women interviewed at their first clinic visit, and subsequently interviewed some days after the birth of the baby and again 6 months later. Additional data were derived from the medical record of the pregnancy and delivery. The study was designed to assess the impact of social, psychological and obstetric factors on pregnancy outcome. We present here details of the study design, sampling, response rates and demographic characteristics of the sample.

Lessons from an audit of unplanned pregnancies

To determine the effectiveness of contraceptive use a two year audit of pregnant women registered in one group practice was carried out. The methods of contraception used by women with unplanned pregnancies were studied and the rates of failure assessed. Of the 518 pregnancies during the study, 187 (36%) were unplanned. Unplanned pregnancies were most common in the 15-19 age group (54 out of 187), and women aged under 25 used contraceptives less reliably than women aged 25 and over. The combined pill was the most effective method of contraception in all age groups. The methods that resulted in most unplanned pregnancies were the sheath in women aged 25 and over and incorrect use of oral contraceptive or no contraception in those aged under 25. The fear of side effects was an important reason why women did not use the combined pill, being cited by 22 out of 134 women, and inappropriate medical advice was cited by a further 20 women. More discussion between doctors and patients and readily available information on the use of oral contraceptives might help to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies.