Forty per cent of all pregnancies in Australia are unintended, a new study by Organon has found.
In 2020, 197,234 unintended pregnancies occurred, costing the country $7.2 billion in direct and indirect costs.
Categorised as either mistimed (pregnancies occurring earlier or later than desired) or unwanted (pregnancies occurring when no or no more children are desired), unintended pregnancies were more frequent among women living in rural areas — who were found to be 1.4 times more likely to experience it than women living in metropolitan areas.
More than half of unintended pregnancies resulted in the birth parents raising the child, while roughly a third were aborted, and one per cent were offered to adoption services.
“The Impact of Unintended Pregnancy” report, produced by US-based women’s healthcare company, Organon, which launched in Australia in mid 2021, also revealed First Nations women as disproportionately affected, due to their relative geographic isolation and lack of access to contraception and abortion services.
Professor Danielle Mazza, Director of SPHERE, Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care, wants people to understand that unintended pregnancies can happen at any stage of life.
“It is often misunderstood and stigmatised, and certainly not discussed openly,” she said on Organon launching the report. “Most people think unintended pregnancy only impacts the woman or couple alone. However, it is a critical public health challenge that has a huge impact on society and imposes significant financial and social costs.”
“We need to address unintended pregnancy by ensuring women have access to the right information to make informed decisions about contraception and pregnancy.”
In Australia, each unintended pregnancy can cost up to $36,384.
One study from 2016 revealed that 73 per cent of women who have unplanned pregnancies were using contraception at the time they fell pregnant, with almost 40 per cent saying they were using the oral contraceptive pill.
Nirelle Tolstoshev, Managing Director of Organon ANZ, said the report aims to further discussions around unintended pregnancies in Australia.
“We know more needs to be done to address better health understanding and education in reproductive health and contraception to support women’s empowerment and reduce the impact of unintended pregnancy,” she said.