Study: One-Third of All Births Are Result of Unplanned Pregnancy

About 37% of births are unintended at the time of conception, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics—that's more than one-third of all pregnancies.

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Unintended births include both pregnancies that are unwanted and those that were mistimed, meaning a woman got pregnant earlier than she had wanted or planned. The study found that the overall proportion of unplanned births has not changed significantly since 1982, and that unmarried women, black women, and women with less education or income are still much more likely to experience unintended pregnancies compared with married, white, college-educated, and high-earning women.

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Unintended births are accompanied by a an elevated risk of adverse social, economic, and health outcomes for mother and baby, which include delayed prenatal care, smoking during pregnancy, not breastfeeding, poorer health during childhood and poorer outcomes for the mother-child relationship. Pregnancies ending in miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion were excluded from the study.

Plus: How to Handle an Unplanned Pregnancy

Did you have an oops baby or did you plan your pregnancy? Leave a comment.