The prevalence of unplanned pregnancy among women attending antenatal primary care clinics in Qatar

Abstract

Background: Currently, 40% of pregnancies worldwide are unplanned and leading to approximately 42 million induced abortions per year, and 34 million unintended births. Objectives: This study aims to ascertain the prevalence of unintended pregnancies among antenatal women attending antenatal clinics in Primary Care in Qatar and to establish any demographic differences among antenatal women around the choice of pregnancy. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study with convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants. A validated questionnaire (the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP)) was used to look at the prevalence and hence the size of the problem. Results: Among 107 participants, scores on the LMUP ranged from 0-12 with a median of 10. Most pregnancies 79.4%, (n=85) were categorized as planned, 17.8% (n=19) as ambivalent, and 2.8% (n=3) as unplanned. 71% of women (n=76) described their current pregnancy as ‘wanted’, and 20.6% (n=22) as ‘mixed feelings’ and 8.4% of women (n=9)defined their pregnancy as ‘unwanted’. Women who are married for more than 5-years (:-1.50, 95%CI -2.47 to -0.52, p=0.003) tended to have significantly lower LMUP scores, and hence a higher risk of having a more unplanned pregnancy. However, women who are non-Qatari’s (:6.30, 95%CI 3.30 to 9.30, p<0.001) and have more than 5-years since last delivery (:2.32, 95%CI 0.95 to 3.68, p=0.001) have significantly higher LMUP scores and hence a lower risk of having a more unplanned pregnancy. Conclusion: Unplanned pregnancies in this population are rare among women attending antenatal clinics. Less planned pregnancies tended to be more prevalent among Qatari women compared to expatriates. Unplanned pregnancy prevention services need to be included within pregnancy care services in primary care settings to offer preferred contraception on time to effectively maintain the low rate of unplanned pregnancies in the country. Key words: Prevalence, unplanned pregnancy, antenatal clinics, primary care, Qatar