What a (Young) Woman Wants: Concurrent Effects of Desire to Avoid Pregnancy and Desire for Sex on Sexual Intercourse and Contraceptive Use.

ABSTRACT: Of all pregnancies among young women in the United States, more than 60% are undesired, yet explanations for this phenomenon remain elusive. While research has investigated how pregnancy desires and intentions shape pregnancy-related behavior, only recently have scholars noted that desire for sex influences these same behaviors. Many young women simultaneously experience strong desires for sex alongside a strong desire to avoid pregnancy, but few studies have considered the extent to which young women adapt their reproductive behaviors in response to these potentially competing desires. Using novel weekly panel data, this analysis assesses how desires for sex may moderate the effect of the desire to avoid pregnancy on a young woman's sexual behavior and contraceptive use. Findings suggest

SUBMITTER: Eilers MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11441459 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature