Name
#144 Impact of the Availability of Women’s Health Clinics on Undesired Pregnancy: Insights from the 2020 DoD Women’s Reproductive Health Survey
Speakers
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Uniformed Services University
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care
Learning Outcomes
1. Understand the importance of preventing undesired pregnancy among ADSW to enhance force health protection and military readiness.
2. Understand the role of contraceptive education in preventing undesired pregnancy.
3. Recognize the potential of WHCs located at an ADSW’s current installation in preventing undesired pregnancy.
2. Understand the role of contraceptive education in preventing undesired pregnancy.
3. Recognize the potential of WHCs located at an ADSW’s current installation in preventing undesired pregnancy.
Session Currently Live
Description
The prevalence of unplanned or unintended pregnancy in the United States (41.6%) is due to several factors. While some unintended pregnancies are welcome, there remains a proportion that are both unintended and undesired. While a variety of methods can be used for pregnancy prevention, some of the most reliable forms of contraception require a prescription and access to a medical clinic that can provide contraceptive care. This study aims to cross-sectionally determine whether the availability of Women’s Health Clinics (WHCs) on installations is associated with reduced odds of undesired pregnancy among Active Duty Service Women (ADSW). Data were analyzed from the 2020 Women’s Reproductive Health Survey (WRHS) of ADSW. The overall weighted response rate was 17.8%. The study examines undesired pregnancy in 2,939 ADSW who reported experiencing pregnancy in the last 12 months. Weighted binary logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between undesired pregnancy and having a WHC on their current installation. The weighted prevalence of undesired pregnancy was 17.9% (95% CI: 15.5-20.4%) with WHCs found to be a protective factor (14.3% having WHC vs 22.2% not having WHC, p=0.002). Having a WHC at their current installation was significantly associated with a 39% decrease in odds of undesired pregnancy (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.42-0.88). Pregnancies that occurred while respondents were using birth control (OR:2.05; 95% CI: 1.28-3.30), along with those who reported contraceptive failure (OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.28-3.30) were significant risk factors for undesired pregnancies. Having a WHC on their current installation is associated with significantly decreased odds of undesired pregnancy. Access to specialty care at duty stations is critical to ADSW and may play a role in preventing undesired pregnancies and positively impacting force health protection and military readiness.