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Results of the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) showed that 49% of the 6.4 million pregnancies each year in the U.S. were either mistimed (additional children were wanted but at a later time; 60%) or unwanted (additional children were not wanted; 40%). In an analysis partially funded by two contraceptive manufacturers, an investigator calculated the approximate costs of these pregnancies as well as the savings that could be ascribed to contraceptive use.
For the calculation, the number of fetal losses likely to have resulted from unintended pregnancies was estimated from the 2002 NSFG data, and the number of induced abortions was estimated from 2000 Guttmacher Institute data. Direct medical costs of births, fetal losses, and indu…