Unplanned pregnancy in Brazil: national study in eight university hospitals

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of unplanned pregnancy in eight public university hospitals, distributed in the five regions that make up Brazil. METHODS A secondary analysis of a national multicenter cross-sectional study, carried out in eight public university hospitals between June 1 and August 31, 2020, in Brazil. Convenience sample including women who gave birth within sixty consecutive days and met the following criteria: over 18 years old; gestational age over 36 weeks at delivery; with a single and live newborn, without malformations. RESULTS Sample composed of 1,120 postpartum women, of whom 756 (67.5%) declared that the pregnancy had not been planned. The median prevalence of unplanned pregnancy was 59.7%. The prevalence of unplanned pregnancy across hospitals differed significantly: Campinas (54.8%), Porto Alegre (58.2%), Florianópolis (59%), Teresina (61.2%), Brasília (64.3%), São Paulo (64.6%), Campo Grande (73.9%) and Manaus (95.3%) (p