Association of intimate partner physical and sexual violence with unintended pregnancy among pregnant women in Peru

Abstract

Objective: To examine the associations between lifetime physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) with pregnancy intent among pregnant women in Lima, Peru.

Methods: A total of 2167 women who delivered at the Instituto Nacional Materno Perinatal, Lima, Peru were interviewed during the postpartum recovery period. Logistic regression was used to estimate multivariable adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Lifetime physical or sexual violence (40.0%) and unintended pregnancies (65.3%) were common in the study population. Compared with non-abused women, abused women had a 1.63-fold increased risk for unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy risk was 3.31-fold higher among women who experienced both physical and sexual abuse compared with non-abused women. The prevalence and severity of physical violence during pregnancy was greater among women with unintended pregnancies compared with women with planned pregnancies.

Conclusion: The findings indicate the need to include IPV screening and treatment in prenatal care and reproductive health settings.