Women’s Health Victoria Clearinghouse Connector, June 2017
This Clearinghouse Connector focuses on the experience of unplanned pregnancy in Australia and the resources available for women and health professionals to help navigate the decision making process.
Although there is surprisingly little information available about the prevalence of unintended pregnancy in Australia, it has been estimated that half of all pregnancies per year in Australia are unplanned. Outcomes for unplanned pregnancies include parenting, miscarriage, abortion and adoption, with parenting being the most likely outcome and adoption the least likely.
Factors influencing women’s decisions about whether or not to continue a pregnancy include the level of support they are likely to receive, the financial resources they have access to, and their own emotional readiness to become parents. Regardless of whether a woman decides to continue or terminate her pregnancy she will need access to appropriate, sensitive and non-judgmental supports and services.