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Despite Easily Available Birth Control, Almost Half Of U.S. Pregnancies Are

May 26, 2008

Despite Easily Available Birth Control, Almost Half Of U.S. Pregnancies Are "Accidents"

 

May 26, 2008 5:40 p.m. EST

 

New York, NY (AHN) - A study released by the Guttmacher Institute said almost half of pregnancies across the U.S. are accidents.

Although birth control devices and information are widely available, almost 50 percent of America's annual 6 million pregnancies are unintended.

Jennifer Frost, principal investigator of the report, told the Boston Chronicle, "The main problem is that taking a pill every day or using a method every time you have sex is really hard to do for 20 or 30 years."

The problem was compounded if the women did not like the birth control method they are using, had emotional problems or underwent other major life changing experiences, could not access contraceptives or were not sure if they wanted to avoid pregnancy.

The study was done in 2004. The institute interviewed 1,978 sexually active, non-sterile American women between the ages 18 to 44.

The report discovered that two-fifths of respondents using the pill missed their regular dose at least once within the past three months, while three-fifths admitted their partners failed to put on a condom or placed it late at least once during the past three months.