The Border of Reproductive Control: Undocumented Immigration as a Risk Factor for Unintended Pregnancy in Switzerland

Abstract

Unintended pregnancies reflect an unmet need for family planning, and are part of health disparities. Using the only database to inquire about pregnancy intention among women in Switzerland, this study examined the relationship between immigrant documentation and unintended pregnancy (UP). Among pregnant women presenting to a Swiss hospital, we compared pregnancy intention between documented and undocumented women. We used logistic regression to examine whether undocumented status was associated with UP after adjusting for other significant predictors. Undocumented women had more unintended pregnancies (75.2 vs. 20.6%, p = 0.00). Undocumented status was associated with UP after adjustment (OR 6.23, 95% CI 1.83-21.2), as was a history of psychological problems (OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.32-12.7). Contraception non-use was notably associated with lower odds of UP (OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.004-0.04). Undocumented status was significantly associated with UP, even after adjusting for well-recognized risk factors. This highlights the tremendous risk of undocumented status on UP among women in Switzerland.