Author(s)

Elvis Junior Dun-Dery^1*, Elijah Yendaw², Frederick Dun-Dery³, Lawrence Bagrmwin⁴, Menaal Kaushal⁵

¹Department of Population and Health Research, Research Web Africa, Sunyani, Ghana.
²Department of Governance and Development Management, Faculty of Planning and Land Management, Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa, Ghana.
³University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary Alberta, Canada.
⁴Lambussie Polyclinic, Ghana Health Service, Lambusie, Upper West Region, Ghana.
⁵Department of Public Health, Lekma Hospital, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.

Background: Globally, an estimated 80 million unintended pregnancies comprising both mistimed and unwanted pregnancies are recorded yearly. Yet only half of the women at risk of mistimed pregnancy use contraceptives. In developing countries, over 100 million females have unmet need, and national surveys in Ghana indicate 23% unmet need rate. Methods: Using a cross-sectional community-based approach, a sample size of 300 women of reproductive age were selected using multi-step cluster sampling techniques. The study was quantitative, using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: Two-third (66%) of the women in reproductive age still had unmet need, 71% were currently pregnant, and more than a third (36%) confirmed ever having a mistimed pregnancy. Fifty-three percent (53%) of the women confirmed never communicating with their partners on family planning issues, a little below half (45%) took their own health care decisions. Seventy nine percent (79%) ever received family planning services from a health professional. Factors related to unmet needs included mistimed pregnancy, level of education, preferred birth/pregnancy interval, communication between partners and the autonomy to spend self-earnings. Conclusion: Considering that high rates of unmet need results in mistimed pregnancy, improved policies around the influence of unmet need on mistimed pregnancies are needed.

Contraception, Family Planning, Mistimed Pregnancy, Ghana, Unintended Pregnancy

Dun-Dery, E. , Yendaw, E. , Dun-Dery, F. , Bagrmwin, L. and Kaushal, M. (2024) Correlates of Mistimed Pregnancy and Unmet Need for Family Planning among Women of Reproductive Age in Sandema, Ghana. Advances in Reproductive Sciences, 12, 125-140. doi: 10.4236/arsci.2024.122011.