Who are the women that conceive unintentional pregnancies in Tanzania?

Background:
Unintended pregnancies pose pernicious consequences on health and well-being of families globally. Although Tanzania is one of the countries experiencing higher rates of unintended pregnancies, characteristics women who conceive unintentionally are less clear and rarely documented.

Methods:
Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey of random households in Rufiji, Kilombero and Ulanga districts of Tanzania in 2011. Women, 15-49 year-olds, who had given birth in the past two years, formed our sample. Unintended pregnancies were twofold – mistimed and unwanted-. A multinomial logistic model was used to identify characteristics of women whose pregnancies were unintended at the time of conception.

Results:
Participants were 870 women in total and averagely aged 27.9 years. While 49.3% had intended pregnancies, 34.9% and 15.8% had mistimed and unwanted pregnancies respectively. Women who were younger, multi-parous, educated, not using contraceptives, reside in urban, unmarried and ever married were more likely to conceive unintended pregnancies than their counterparts.

Conclusion:
Socio-demographic characteristics of women in the three districts in Tanzania influence pregnancy intentions. Women should be empowered with fertility control mechanisms to avoid unintended pregnancies.