Unintended pregnancy and low birthweight in Ecuador

Objectives. This study assessed the relationship between unintended pregnancy and infant birthweight in Ecuador, differentiating between unwanted and mistimed pregnancies, Methods. Analyses focused on a subsample of women (n = 2490) interviewed in the 1994 Ecuador Demographic and Maternal-Child Health Survey Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between pregnancy intention status and low birthweight after control for other factors. Results. Infants from unwanted pregnancies were more likely than infants from planned pregnancies to have low birth-weight (odds ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.22, 2.20). Mistimed pregnancy was not associated with low birthweight. Conclusions. Unwanted pregnancy, but not mistimed pregnancy, is associated with low birthweight in Ecuador. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism through which pregnancy intention status affects birthweight.