The influence of reproductive information quality on the probability of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies in Brazil

Abstract

Background: Unplanned pregnancies are a significant risk factor for inadequate use of prenatal care, and unplanned newborns are prone to having low birth weight. Women with unplanned pregnancies have a higher probability of reporting medical problems before and during pregnancy. In fact, the wellbeing of the entire household may be affected. Moreover, unplanned pregnancies have been associated with a higher social burden on taxpayers. Methods: The paper uses propensity score matching approaches to estimate the effect of having correct fertility information on the probability of having unplanned pregnancies. The data was collected from a nationally representative sample of Brazilian women between the ages of 15 and 49 years. Results: Only 26% of pregnant women have the correct information about fertility levels over the menstrual cycle. Women endowed with correct information are 12% less likely to have unwanted pregnancies and 24% less likely to have unplanned pregnancies. Conclusions: Basic fertility knowledge is an important predictor of unplanned pregnancies in Brazil, but only a small share of Brazilian women have this knowledge. More optimistically, offering access to basic fertility information to women of childbearing age can significantly decrease the instances of unplanned pregnancies, thus generating significant benefits to public health and social security systems.