Pregnancy Preferences and Incident Pregnancy in the US - PubMed (original) (raw)

Pregnancy Preferences and Incident Pregnancy in the US

Brooke W Bullington et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025.

Abstract

Importance: Examining associations of pregnancy and childbearing desires with incident pregnancy is vital to understanding whether individuals attain their reproductive preferences. Much of the existing population-based research is limited by simplistic measurement of pregnancy desires and retrospective study designs.

Objective: To assess the prospective association of pregnancy preferences with incident pregnancy and to investigate the degree to which people's attainment of their pregnancy preferences differs by sociodemographic characteristics.

Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study used longitudinal data from the Surveys of Women, state-representative prospective studies of reproductive-aged females from 9 US states (Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, and Wisconsin). Participants were recruited between November 2016 and July 2020 and followed up for 2 to 3 years, depending on the state. Eligible participants were aged 18 to 44 years and female. Analyses included participants who, at the start of each 1-year observation period, could experience pregnancy (ie, not pregnant, no tubal ligation, and not infertile). Data were analyzed from May 2024 to April 2025.

Exposures: The primary exposure was preferences about a potential pregnancy within 3 months and childbearing within 1 year, measured using the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) scale. Scores were categorized into low, midrange, and high desire to avoid pregnancy.

Main outcome and measures: The primary outcome was self-reported incident pregnancy over the year after completing the DAP scale. Differences in incident pregnancy were examined within DAP score grouping by sociodemographic characteristics using model-estimated probabilities of pregnancy.

Results: The sample included 9565 unique participants (3256 participants [weighted percentage, 48%] aged <30 years) who contributed 18 603 annual longitudinal observations. A majority of participants were nulliparous (4066 participants [weighted percentage, 51%]) or lived with a romantic partner (5952 participants [weighted percentage, 59%]). An estimated 3% (95% CI, 2%-4%) of participants with high DAP scores reported pregnancy over a year, compared with 8% (95% CI, 7%-9%) of those with midrange DAP scores and 25% (95% CI, 23%-27%) of those with low DAP scores. The association of DAP score with pregnancy differed by age, parity, prior-year birth, cohabitation with partner, education level, employment, and racial and ethnic identity.

Conclusions and relevance: In this population-based cohort study of reproductive-aged females, realization of pregnancy preferences varied by sociodemographic characteristics, highlighting reproductive inequities. These results may be used to inform public health efforts to provide contraception, abortion, preconception, and fertility care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Figures

Figure 1.

Figure 1.. Flowchart of the Analytic Sample With Exclusion Criteria

DAP indicates Desire to Avoid Pregnancy scale. aExclusions were applied sequentially. Each exclusion accounts for prior exclusions. bThe final analysis sample included 7396 paired observations from waves 1 to 2, 7488 from waves 2 to 3, and 3719 from waves 3 to 4.

Figure 2.

Figure 2.. Weighted Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) Scale Scores at Baseline

Histogram showing distribution of weighted DAP scores at baseline for 9565 individuals. Scores range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating stronger preferences to avoid pregnancy. Vertical lines represent cut points between low, midlevel, and high DAP score categories.

Figure 3.

Figure 3.. Estimated Mean Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) Score by Sociodemographic Characteristics

Estimated mean DAP scores and 95% CIs by sociodemographic characteristics generated from mixed-effects linear regression models accounting for state and whether data were collected before or after the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates account for survey weights and clustering by participant; robust standard errors were calculated for the 95% CIs. Scores range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating stronger preferences to avoid pregnancy. Racial and ethnic groups with fewer than 1% were included in multiracial or another race, which included Native American, Alaska Native, or American Indian; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; and any race or ethnicity not otherwise specified.

References

    1. Kost K, Zolna M, Murro R. Pregnancies in the United States by desire for pregnancy: estimates for 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. Demography. 2023;60(3):837-863. doi: 10.1215/00703370-10690005 -DOI -PubMed
    1. Bearak JM, Alkema L, Kantorová V, Casterline J. Alignment between desires and outcomes among women wanting to avoid pregnancy: a global comparative study of “conditional” unintended pregnancy rates. Stud Fam Plann. 2023;54(1):265-280. doi: 10.1111/sifp.12234 -DOI -PubMed
    1. Mumford SL, Sapra KJ, King RB, Louis JF, Buck Louis GM. Pregnancy intentions-a complex construct and call for new measures. Fertil Steril. 2016;106(6):1453-1462. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.07.1067 -DOI -PMC -PubMed
    1. Santelli J, Rochat R, Hatfield-Timajchy K, et al. ; Unintended Pregnancy Working Group . The measurement and meaning of unintended pregnancy. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2003;35(2):94-101. doi: 10.1363/3509403 -DOI -PubMed
    1. Petersen R, Moos MK. Defining and measuring unintended pregnancy: issues and concerns. Womens Health Issues. 1997;7(4):234-240. doi: 10.1016/S1049-3867(97)00009-1 -DOI -PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources