![]() An increasing emphasis has been placed on employing qualitative approaches to examine these term’s connotations, as these methods allow for better understanding of the nuances of existing definitions for patients. To date, few studies have investigated the concept of pregnancy planning from the perspectives of both women and men. While these studies provide valuable perspectives on feelings toward pregnancy intention among certain groups, they provide limited insight into the diversity of men’s understanding of pregnancy intentions and do not examine their views on pregnancy planning. ![]() These studies also rely on women’s report of their male partners’ intentions or use women’s intentions as a proxy for their partners’ intentions, neglecting that women may be unaware of or have misperceptions about their partner’s perspectives. Furthermore, some studies only examine male partners’ desire or intention for pregnancy rather than pregnancy planning, which, in addition to desire and timing, includes the preparatory behaviors an individual takes in anticipation of pregnancy. Additionally, these two studies did not include married and/or non- parenting men. ![]() For example, recent qualitative studies have examined low-income, inner-city fathers’ perspectives on childbearing but not on pregnancy planning. ![]() Įfforts to understand the context of pregnancy planning have historically neglected men’s perspectives or examined them within limited contexts. Yet limited research exists on how individuals’ lived experiences influence their conceptualization of planned and unplanned pregnancy and the grey areas in-between. Taken together, the literature highlights the context dependent, multifaceted, and fluid nature of pregnancy planning. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that additional factors, such as relationships dynamics, desire for a baby with a specific partner, and current life circumstances, significantly influence how women conceptualize pregnancy planning. While these participants understood the concept of pregnancy planning, they also expressed that avoiding pregnancy was not a priority because they might never realistically reach a point where planning one would be possible. For example, a qualitative study in a New Orleans clinic found that some women in their sample both reported a desire to avoid pregnancy and were not using contraception regularly. Prior studies have shown that women’s perceptions of pregnancy planning are multidimensional. There is a growing body of evidence regarding the limitations of “planned” and “unplanned” pregnancy concepts and terminology. Incorporating socioeconomic, contextual, and relationship influences into dialogues on how women and their partners understand family planning and related decision-making processes moves toward a more inclusive and nuanced conceptualization of pregnancy planning. The traditional pregnancy planning paradigm posits that women determine if and when they want to have children based on important life goals, such as career or education, and then develop a plan for how to achieve their fertility goals. Because access to contraceptive care plays a critical role in supporting individuals in achieving their reproductive goals, it is imperative that providers avoid perpetuating normative ideals of pregnancy planning and support their patients’ diversity of attitudes and experiences towards pregnancy. This mismatch between patient and provider conceptualizations of unplanned pregnancy likely constrains reproductive health care interactions and decision making, as providers may perpetuate normative notions of pregnancy planning that alienate some patients. The dichotomous concepts of “planned” and “unplanned” pregnancy are widely used to guide family planning practice and research, despite evidence suggesting that these terms may not accurately reflect some women’s experiences of or feelings toward pregnancy. ![]()
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