Although the number of unplanned pregnancies has fallen in recent decades, the percentage of such pregnancies today is estimated not to exceed 23% globally. And the numbers are similar in countries where contraceptive use is high. This has been demonstrated by the UPV/EHU study which, after analysing data from more than 11,500 French mothers, revealed that 20% had had an unplanned pregnancy. But beyond finding out the percentage, Ikerbasque Research Fellow Anna Barbuscia set out to analyse the physical and mental effects of unplanned pregnancies on women: “The results show that, although all mothers experience a decline in health after childbirth, the decline is much more pronounced in cases in which there had been no intention to have children.”

The research has made it possible to see that among mothers who had had unplanned pregnancies, health effects vary according to age. The results show that during the first two years after childbirth, women under 30 endure a sharper decline than older women. “Our interpretation is that unexpected pregnancies can be more destabilising for younger women because their emotional and employment situation tends to be more precarious: some are studying, some do not have steady jobs, etc. However, the long-term perspective revealed that, thanks to their better initial health, they recover more easily than those who become mothers after the age of 30,” explained Barbuscia, a member of the UPV/EHU’s OPIK research group.

On the other hand, within unplanned pregnancies, the study distinguishes between unintended pregnancies and those taking place ahead of time. As Barbuscia explained: “Not wanting to have offspring or not wanting to have more children is not the same as planning to conceive in the future and for it to happen ahead of schedule.” Her work analysed the two types of pregnancy separately and found that unwanted pregnancies increase the negative impact on mothers’ well-being.

Finally, it should be stressed that all the above data refer to general health, covering both physical and psychological aspects. However, the research also looked at the specific effects on mental health and revealed unexpected data: “Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that the risk of suffering depressive symptoms after childbirth is not higher in women with unplanned pregnancies. Before giving birth they are more prone to psychological effects, but after delivery the levels are no more pronounced than in mothers whose pregnancies had been planned,” explained Barbuscia.

The longitudinal method, the key to obtaining conclusive results

Although there were many existing pieces of research that had already studied the consequences of unplanned pregnancies, the contribution of the UPV/EHU research was significant. The results obtained are more conclusive because the analysis was carried out longitudinally. In other words, data was collected and examined over time and not only a posteriori, as has traditionally been the case. “The fact that before and after giving birth the women who participated in our research answered questionnaires about their health and their intentions to become pregnant, makes the results more in line with reality. Asking only after birth increases the risk that mothers will revise their initial plans,” Barbuscia said.

The author also stressed that the longitudinal design made it possible to see whether the decline in mothers' health had actually been caused by the specific fact that the pregnancy had been planned or unplanned, thus excluding the effect of other socio-economic factors: “In previous studies there was no way of finding out whether issues such as family or employment status had differed before and after birth. So, it was not possible to account for the changes in health,” she concluded.

Additional information

Anna Barbuscia has been an Ikerbasque Research Fellow since 2022 and belongs to OPIK, the Social Determinants of Health and Demographic Change research group. She holds a PhD in sociology and a degree in development economics. Her main lines of research are the determinants and consequences of fertility behaviour. She has also studied the health consequences of other events in the course of a lifetime, such as the dissolution of a couple.