A Randomized Study of Measurement Approaches for Pregnancy Intentions: Results French National Fertility Survey (Fecond Study)

Caroline Moreau, Johns Hopkins University and Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
Aline Bohet, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
Mireille Le Guen, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
Nathalie Bajos, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)

This study examines pregnancy intention estimates according to question wording, by gender and other pregnancy characteristics. Data are drawn from a population-based survey in France in 2011 (5,272 women; 3,373 men). Participants randomly answered 1 of 2 questions on whether they had planned or wanted each of their pregnancies. We compare estimates of unplanned versus unwanted pregnancies for 11,612 pregnancies. The use of different wording yields a 6% point difference in estimates: 33.9% pregnancies were unplanned, 28.0% unwanted. Men were more likely to report unplanned pregnancies than women (OR=1.2 [1.0-1.4]). The odds of unplanned pregnancies were higher when started before 25 years (OR=3.0 [2.4-3.7]), among 4+ ranked pregnancies as compared to 1rst (OR=2.0 [1.5-2.6]) and significantly lower in 2nd pregnancies (OR=0.8 [0.7-0.9]). The same results pertained to unwanted pregnancies, with an additional year effect. This study reflects on the effect of survey instruments on national estimates of pregnancy intentions.