Are Uncertain Fertility Intentions a Temporary or Long-term Outlook? Findings from a Panel Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Research suggests that a substantial minority of women are unsure if they want to have (more) children. This study examines whether this is a temporary or long-term outlook and which characteristics are associated with uncertainty about future childbearing intentions.

Methods

Panel data from a national sample of 2,353 nonsterilized U.S. women aged 18 to 39 years were gathered at three points in time between 2012 and 2013. Women who indicated they were "not sure" if they wanted to have any (more) children were classified as uncertain. Random effects and fixed effects logistic regression were used to determine which baseline and time-varying characteristics were associated with fertility uncertainty and changes in uncertainty.

Results

Although 39% of the samp

SUBMITTER: Jones RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5289295 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan - Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature