Which Older Women Skip Contraception Despite Not Wanting Pregnancy?

In 2001, about half of all women with unintended pregnancies reported not using contraception during the month they conceived. Although younger women (age range, 18–24) had the highest unintended pregnancy rates overall, women aged ≥35 had the highest rates of unintended pregnancies terminated by abortion; moreover, older women were more likely than younger women to report not using contraception even though not desiring pregnancy. Now, investigators have analyzed data from the National Survey of Family Growth (Cycle 6; 2002–2003) to determine factors associated with failure to use contraception in women aged 35 to 44. Participants included 95 women who used no method and 468 women who used any method during the month of the interview.

Multi…