Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Pregnancy planning and lifestyle prior to conception and during early pregnancy among Danish women

Backhausen, Mette G ; Ekstrand Ragnar, Maria LU orcid ; Tydén, Tanja ; Kjeldberg Magnussen, Britta ; Shawe, Jill ; Stern, Jenny and Hegaard, Hanne K LU (2014) In European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care 19(1). p.57-65
Abstract (Swedish)
Objective To investigate the extent to which Danish women attending antenatal care plan their pregnancies and to determine the association between pregnancy planning and the intake of folic acid, alcohol consumption and smoking habits prior to conception and before the 16th week of gestation. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 258 women. Main outcome measures: intake of folic acid, alcohol consumption and smoking. Pregnancy planning was assessed by the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) and the five graded Swedish Pregnancy Planning Scale. Results Most (77%) of the participants reported that their pregnancies were very or fairly well planned. Higher median LMUP scores were observed in women taking folic acid (p < 0.001), in... (More)
Objective To investigate the extent to which Danish women attending antenatal care plan their pregnancies and to determine the association between pregnancy planning and the intake of folic acid, alcohol consumption and smoking habits prior to conception and before the 16th week of gestation. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 258 women. Main outcome measures: intake of folic acid, alcohol consumption and smoking. Pregnancy planning was assessed by the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) and the five graded Swedish Pregnancy Planning Scale. Results Most (77%) of the participants reported that their pregnancies were very or fairly well planned. Higher median LMUP scores were observed in women taking folic acid (p < 0.001), in those consuming less alcohol, and in women who stopped smoking prior to pregnancy (p = 0.043). However, 43% of the respondents with a high degree of pregnancy planning and 98% of those with a low degree of planning had not taken folic acid prior to pregnancy. Binge drinking during early pregnancy was reported by 20% of women with a high degree of planned pregnancy and 31% of those with a low degree (p = 0.1). Conclusion Pregnancy planning was associated with a healthier lifestyle but still many women could improve their lifestyle in connection to pregnancy. Their level of alcohol consumption is higher than that recommended for best pregnancy outcome. © 2014 The European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Alcohol, Folic acid, Preconception health, Pregnancy planning, Smoking, folic acid, adult, alcohol abstinence, alcohol consumption, article, binge drinking, cross-sectional study, Denmark, family planning, female, first trimester pregnancy, gestational age, human, lifestyle, major clinical study, maternal smoking, outcome assessment, pregnancy, pregnancy outcome, prenatal care, priority journal, smoking cessation, smoking habit, Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dietary Supplements, Female, Folic Acid, Health Behavior, Humans, Preconception Care, Pregnancy, Pregnancy, Unplanned, Prenatal Care, Risk Reduction Behavior, Smoking Cessation, Young Adult
in
European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care
volume
19
issue
1
pages
57 - 65
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:84893507091
ISSN
1362-5187
DOI
10.3109/13625187.2013.851183
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Export Date: 05 December 2025; Cited By: 55
id
cc7372dd-917a-4c40-b026-da7882930345
alternative location
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84893507091&doi=10.3109%2F13625187.2013.851183&partnerID=40&md5=1cb52ee525303349de9de8208d2bd53f
date added to LUP
2025-12-05 10:02:07
date last changed
2025-12-06 04:01:41
@article{cc7372dd-917a-4c40-b026-da7882930345,
  abstract     = {{Objective To investigate the extent to which Danish women attending antenatal care plan their pregnancies and to determine the association between pregnancy planning and the intake of folic acid, alcohol consumption and smoking habits prior to conception and before the 16th week of gestation. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 258 women. Main outcome measures: intake of folic acid, alcohol consumption and smoking. Pregnancy planning was assessed by the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) and the five graded Swedish Pregnancy Planning Scale. Results Most (77%) of the participants reported that their pregnancies were very or fairly well planned. Higher median LMUP scores were observed in women taking folic acid (p &lt; 0.001), in those consuming less alcohol, and in women who stopped smoking prior to pregnancy (p = 0.043). However, 43% of the respondents with a high degree of pregnancy planning and 98% of those with a low degree of planning had not taken folic acid prior to pregnancy. Binge drinking during early pregnancy was reported by 20% of women with a high degree of planned pregnancy and 31% of those with a low degree (p = 0.1). Conclusion Pregnancy planning was associated with a healthier lifestyle but still many women could improve their lifestyle in connection to pregnancy. Their level of alcohol consumption is higher than that recommended for best pregnancy outcome. © 2014 The European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health.}},
  author       = {{Backhausen, Mette G and Ekstrand Ragnar, Maria and Tydén, Tanja and Kjeldberg Magnussen, Britta and Shawe, Jill and Stern, Jenny and Hegaard, Hanne K}},
  issn         = {{1362-5187}},
  keywords     = {{Alcohol; Folic acid; Preconception health; Pregnancy planning; Smoking; folic acid; adult; alcohol abstinence; alcohol consumption; article; binge drinking; cross-sectional study; Denmark; family planning; female; first trimester pregnancy; gestational age; human; lifestyle; major clinical study; maternal smoking; outcome assessment; pregnancy; pregnancy outcome; prenatal care; priority journal; smoking cessation; smoking habit; Adult; Alcohol Drinking; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dietary Supplements; Female; Folic Acid; Health Behavior; Humans; Preconception Care; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Unplanned; Prenatal Care; Risk Reduction Behavior; Smoking Cessation; Young Adult}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{57--65}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care}},
  title        = {{Pregnancy planning and lifestyle prior to conception and during early pregnancy among Danish women}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13625187.2013.851183}},
  doi          = {{10.3109/13625187.2013.851183}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}