Consequences of Unintended Pregnancy amongst Young Couples in Nepal

Mahesh Puri, Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA)

This paper explores the expected consequences of unintended pregnancy, and compares these with real experiences amongst young couples in Nepal. Information was drawn from a sample survey of 997 married women and 499 men, and 30 in-depth case histories. The findings suggest that conflicts with spouses and family members, depression, worries, mental tension, loss of education and employment opportunities were the major anticipated socio-psychological consequences of unintended pregnancies. Reduced prenatal and postnatal care, unsafe abortions, post-abortion complications, and maternal deaths were the major expected health outcomes of an unintended pregnancy. In general, the perceived opinions on socio-psychological consequences corroborated with real experiences. However, there are some differences between the perceived opinions and real experiences when it comes to the health consequences. programs that focus to identify couples at risk of unintended pregnancies, to address worries and mental tension, and enable them to make timely decisions and responsible choices are required.