An unintended or unplanned pregnancy is a pregnancy that is unwanted or unintended, either because the timing of the pregnancy is not right, or it's not planned, or the pregnancy is not wanted when it was conceived. An unintended pregnancy often results from ineffective, inconsistent, or a mistaken use of contraception. According to the CDC, about 50% of pregnancies are unintended, and among women 19 years and younger about 4 in 5 pregnancies are unintended.
Options for unintended and unplanned pregnancies
Women with an unintended pregnancy face usually three options:
- Continuation of the pregnancy (parenting)
- Termination of pregnancy (abortion)
- Giving up the baby after birth (adoption)
After you read about each of these options, and get the facts, you should be in a better position to weigh the benefits and risks of each one. Only you can decide what to do and what is important for you. Consider the benefits and consider possible risks that are important to you.
The decision has to be made by you, and only you. Nobody should force you what to do. It may be helpful to talk to someone else like a family friend or your partner. Or you can talk to a family planning center like at Planned Parenthood to get more information. You are the most important person to decide who to talk to and how to best decide on the options.
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