Are Latina Women Ambivalent about Pregnancies They Are Using Contraception to Prevent? Evidence from the Border Contraceptive Access Study

Abigail R. A. Aiken, University of Texas at Austin
Joseph E. Potter, University of Texas at Austin

Trussell et al.’s provocative analysis of women’s classifications of contraceptive failures from the 1995 NSFG found inconsistent retrospective reporting of intentions and feelings. Looking to the 2006-2010 NSFG, we find that such incongruent reporting of happiness about pregnancies resulting from contraceptive failure is more prevalent among Latina women. Using prospective data from the Border Contraceptive Access Study (BCAS), a cohort of Latina women using the oral contraceptive pill, we shed new light on Trussell et al.’s apparent paradox. We find that incongruent happiness and intention, rather than constituting ambivalence, reflect distinct concepts i.e. wanting no more pregnancies is not incompatible with positive feelings about pregnancy, and that happiness may reflect both cultural attitudes towards children, and the impact of pregnancy on relationship wellbeing. Prospective negative feelings about pregnancy are lost retrospectively, with implications for the measurement of unintended pregnancy among Latina women in national surveys such as NSFG and PRAMS.