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Pregnancies in adolescent girls and young women AGYW are associated with poorer maternal and neonatal outcomes and a high abortion rate, yet data are still limited on incident pregnancies among AGYW in vulnerable situations. We studied the incidence and factors associated with unintended pregnancy among AGYW who were frequently engaged in transactional sex in Kampala, Uganda.
We analyzed data from a study that investigated the uptake of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis among AGYW from January to December Volunteers attended 3-monthly study visits for 12 months each. Contraceptive services were provided to interested volunteers free of charge. Interviewers collected data on sociodemographics, sexual behavior, reproductive health outcomes, and substance use. Pregnancy was determined by testing for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in urine. The pregnancy incidence rate was estimated using the KaplanβMeier technique, and logistic regression was used to determine the correlates of pregnancy.
We included volunteers with a mean age of The mean age at first sexual intercourse was We recorded 44 pregnancies over Incident pregnancies were less likely among those who reported alcohol consumption in the past month aRR 0.
The incidence of unintended pregnancy was high despite the availability of free contraceptive services. We recommend sociobehavioral studies to explore this further. Sexual and reproductive health campaigns should strengthen demand creation and motivation to use contraception among young women with multiple sexual partners. Keywords: pregnancy, adolescents, young women, sub-Saharan Africa, contraception.
