Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

On the phenomenon of unintended pregnancy and its potential consequences

2016; Volume: 41; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5937/tmg1603208b

2406-1042

Artur Bjelica, Jelena Bjelanović, Nenad Ćetković,

Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse

Unintended pregnancy is the pregnancy that has occurred in a wrong time, unplanned, and unwanted at the moment of the conception. It is thought that about one half of all pregnancies are not planned. Usually, it occurs as a consequence of not using contraception or using it in an inappropriate way, whereas it is very rare in regular and correct use of contraception. The consequences of unplanned pregnancy can be very serious and may represent a real burden to children, women, men, and families. Unplanned pregnancy may be a cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, as well as the basis for far-reaching consequences to the health of the born from such pregnancies. On the other hand, there are also possible consequences - both physical and psychological - of artificial termination as a method of dealing with undesired pregnancies.