Reasons for Unintended Pregnancy

A Qualitative Study with Women in Prenatal Care in Salvador, Brazil

Abstract

Background: In Brazil, the prevalence of unintended pregnancies remains high. Most national studies focus on sociodemographic factors, but few explore women’s subjective experiences and the meanings attributed to not wanting to become pregnant. Objective: To understand the reasons reported by women receiving prenatal care who did not desire their current pregnancy. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive study was conducted in a Family Health Unit in Salvador, Brazil. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were analyzed through Bardin’s content analysis framework. Results: Four thematic categories emerged: (1) socioeconomic impacts (career disruption and financial hardship); (2) life cycle stage (age, relationship context and offspring characteristics); (3) difficult interpersonal relationships (absent partners, marital conflicts, and traumatic family experiences); and (4) conceptions of mothering (need for psychological readiness, responsibility overload and fears regarding violence in society). The sample, mostly composed of black, low-income women living in a socially vulnerable area, highlighted the intersections of gender, race, and class inequalities shaping the experience of unintended pregnancy. Conclusion: The lack of desire to become pregnant cannot be reduced to isolated sociodemographic variables. It emerges from the interplay of material living conditions, family trajectories, interpersonal relationships, and cultural conceptions of motherhood. By centering women’s voices, this study contributes to more sensitive health practices and reproductive policies that reflect the complexity of unintended pregnancy.