The Extent of Association between Pregnancy Intention and Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services in India

Sujata Ganguly, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Nalin Singh Negi, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Information about women's intention to become pregnant has been used for a variety of purposes, from estimating the number of unintended pregnancies to assessing the effects of pregnancy intention on behaviours during pregnancy, birth outcomes, health and development of children born as a result of unintended pregnancies. Births or pregnancies may be unwanted because they either pose a serious threat to health of mothers or children or they do not conform to specific family size desired by couples. Using data from the National Family Health Survey, bivariate and multivariate (multinomial logistic regression) techniques have been applied. There is a negative discrimination in the use of antenatal, intra-natal and post-natal care in cases where pregnancies are unintended. A woman who has planned a pregnancy will be highly motivated to seek early prenatal care to ensure a successful outcome and more concerned about the well-being of the foetus.