The DHS Program

Mistimed and Unwanted Pregnancies in Jordan (English) 

Document Type

Further Analysis

Publication Topic(s)

Fertility and Fertility Preferences, Maternal Health

Country(s)

Jordan

Survey

Jordan DHS, 2002

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Johnson, Kiersten, Osama al Zoubi, and Martin Wulfe. 2004. Mistimed and Unwanted Pregnancies in Jordan. DHS Further Analysis Reports No. 44. Calverton, Maryland, USA: ORC Macro.

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Publication Date

September 2004

Publication ID

FA44

Abstract:

Context: Over the past two decades in Jordan, contraceptive use has risen, and total fertility has declined. However, the proportion of pregnancies resulting in live births that are reported as wanted when conceived has declined over time. There is therefore a need to explore the risk factors for experiencing unintended pregnancy in Jordan. Methods: Two multinomial logistic regression analyses of the risk factors for unintended pregnancy (both unwanted and mistimed) were conducted using a subsample of women who were interviewed for the 2002 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey. The study sample for the first analysis consisted of 3,881 women whose most recent pregnancy occurred between January 1997 and October 2002. The second analysis selected from this group the 2,030 women who had used a contraceptive method before the pregnancy and within the five years before the survey, to determine the effect of the contraceptive source and method on the probability of experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Results: The multivariate analysis indicated that several factors significantly influence the likelihood that a woman would classify her most recent pregnancy as unwanted or mistimed. Risk factors that independently increase the likelihood of an unintended pregnancy included ever-use of modern contraception, use of the contraceptive pill, and number of previous births. Factors associated with pregnancy reported as intended include obtaining contraceptive services from private medical providers, and the ability to pay for health care with little difficulty.