Rank at time of award: Associate Professor
and
Dr. Sarah Hayford, Department of Sociology
Dr. Marta Bornstein, College of Public Health
Dr. Jessica D. Gipson, Community Health Sciences (UCLA)
Abstract
Unintended fertility and infertility are two common reproductive health phenomena that individuals and couples may experience throughout their lifetime. Experiences of and concerns about infertility influence sexual and contraceptive behaviors, yet the interrelationships between infertility and unintended fertility are not well characterized in US populations. We will examine how women make contraceptive decisions informed by their past, cumulative reproductive experiences (i.e., attempting to achieve their desired number and timing of children) and their assessments of their ability to become pregnant in the future. Through virtual focus group discussions with women aged 18-35 in Ohio, we will learn how women conceptualize the dual realities of averting unintended pregnancy and infertility. We will assess how these conceptualizations and their impacts on reproductive behavior differ by socio-demographic characteristics of race/ethnicity, education, and age. To make progress in helping individuals meet their reproductive goals and to uphold the full spectrum of reproductive rights, our research will examine unintended fertility and infertility as interrelated phenomena that both impact reproductive decision making and outcomes.