Reproductive Life Planning in Adolescents

 

 Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Unplanned pregnancy in adolescents contributes to the burden of disease, mortality, and health and educational disparities experienced by young people during this vulnerable period between childhood and adulthood. Reproductive life planning (RLP) is an approach that has been endorsed and adopted internationally, which prompts individuals and couples to set personal goals regarding if and when to have children based on their own personal priorities. This review discusses RLP tools, their acceptability, effectiveness, and issues in implementation across different contexts, with a specific focus on how RLP has been applied for adolescents. While a range of RLP tools are available and considered acceptable in adult populations, there is minimal evidence of their potential benefits for adolescent populations. Online platforms and information technology are likely to promote reach and implementation of RLP interventions in adolescents. Consideration of the socioecological contexts where adolescent pregnancies are more common should be integral to much needed future work that explores RLP interventions in adolescents.

Publication History

Article published online:
22 October 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

• References

• 1 Guttmacher Institute. Adding It Up: Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health 2019. New York, NY: Guttmacher Institute; 2020
  Google Scholar
• 2 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Girlhood, Not Motherhood: Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy. New York, US: UNFPA; 2015
  Google Scholar
• 3 World Health Organisation (WHO). Adolescent Health and Development. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2020. . Accessed July 31, 2021 at: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/q-a-detail/adolescent-health-and-development
  Google Scholar
• 4 Sawyer SM, Azzopardi PS, Wickremarathne D, Patton GC. The age of adolescence. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2018; 2 (03) 223-228
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 5 Maravilla JC, Betts KS, Couto E Cruz C, Alati R. Factors influencing repeated teenage pregnancy: a review and meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2017; 217 (05) 527-545.e31
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 6 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Australia's Children. Canberra, Australia: AIHW; 2020
  Google Scholar
• 7 Imamura M, Tucker J, Hannaford P. et al; REPROSTAT 2 Group. Factors associated with teenage pregnancy in the European Union countries: a systematic review. Eur J Public Health 2007; 17 (06) 630-636
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 8 Abma JC, Martinez GM. Sexual activity and contraceptive use among teenagers in the United States, 2011–2015. Natl Health Stat Rep 2017; 104 (104) 1-23
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 9 Guttmacher Institute. Pregnancies, Births and Abortions among Adolescents and Young Women in the United States, 2013: National and State Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity. New York, NY: Guttmacher Institute; 2017
  Google Scholar
• 10 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Fertility among Very Young Adolescents Aged 10–14 Years. Now York, NY: United Nations; 2020. (ST/ESA/SER.A/453)
  Google Scholar
• 11 United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). Ending Child Marriage Progress and Prospects. New York, NY: UNICEF; 2014
  Google Scholar
• 12 Raj A, Boehmer U. Girl child marriage and its association with national rates of HIV, maternal health, and infant mortality across 97 countries. Violence Against Women 2013; 19 (04) 536-551
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 13 World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO Recommendations on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2018
  Google Scholar
• 14 Connolly A, Pietri G, Yu J, Humphreys S. Association between long-acting reversible contraceptive use, teenage pregnancy, and abortion rates in England. Int J Womens Health 2014; 6: 961-974
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 15 Neal S, Matthews Z, Frost M, Fogstad H, Camacho AV, Laski L. Childbearing in adolescents aged 12-15 years in low resource countries: a neglected issue. New estimates from demographic and household surveys in 42 countries. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2012; 91 (09) 1114-1118
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 16 Sukhato K, Wongrathanandha C, Thakkinstian A, Dellow A, Horsuwansak P, Anothaisintawee T. Efficacy of additional psychosocial intervention in reducing low birth weight and preterm birth in teenage pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Adolesc 2015; 44: 106-116
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 17 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: An Essential Element of Universal Health Coverage. New York, NY: UNFPA; 2019
  Google Scholar
• 18 Johnson K, Posner SF, Biermann J. et al; CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group, Select Panel on Preconception Care. Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care–United States. A report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care. MMWR Recomm Rep 2006; 55 (RR-6): 1-23
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 19 Morse JE, Moos M-K. Reproductive life planning: raising the questions. Matern Child Health J 2018; 22 (04) 439-444
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 20 Moos M-K, Bartholomew NE, Lohr KN. Counseling in the clinical setting to prevent unintended pregnancy: an evidence-based research agenda. Contraception 2003; 67 (02) 115-132
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 21 American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). Well-Woman Visit. Washington, DC: ACOG; 2018. : Committee Opinion No. 755
  Google Scholar
• 22 Edmonds SW, Ayres L. Evolutionary concept analysis of reproductive life planning. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2017; 46 (01) 78-90
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 23 Liu F, Parmerter J, Straughn M. Reproductive life planning: a concept analysis. Nurs Forum 2016; 51 (01) 55-61
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 24 Allen D, Hunter MS, Wood S, Beeson T. One Key Question^®: first things first in reproductive health. Matern Child Health J 2017; 21 (03) 387-392
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 25 Geist C, Aiken AR, Sanders JN. et al. Beyond intent: exploring the association of contraceptive choice with questions about Pregnancy Attitudes, Timing and How important is pregnancy prevention (PATH) questions. Contraception 2019; 99 (01) 22-26
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 26 Callegari LS, Aiken AR, Dehlendorf C, Cason P, Borrero S. Addressing potential pitfalls of reproductive life planning with patient-centered counseling. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2017; 216 (02) 129-134
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 27 Madrigal JM, Stempinski-Metoyer K, McManus AE, Zimmerman L, Patel A. The family planning quotient and reproductive life index (FPQ/RepLI) tool: a solution for family planning, reproductive life planning and contraception counseling. Reprod Health 2019; 16 (01) 125-125
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 28 Rocca CH, Ralph LJ, Wilson M, Gould H, Foster DG. Psychometric evaluation of an instrument to measure prospective pregnancy preferences: the desire to avoid pregnancy scale. Med Care 2019; 57 (02) 152-158
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 29 Paterno MT, Han HR. Development and psychometric testing of the attitude toward potential pregnancy scale. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2014; 43 (06) 710-718
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 30 Gardiner P, Bickmore T, Yinusa-Nyahkoon L. et al. Using health information technology to engage African American women on nutrition and supplement use during the preconception period. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 11: 571705-571705
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 31 Jack BW, Bickmore T, Yinusa-Nyahkoon L. et al. Improving the health of young African American women in the preconception period using health information technology: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Digit Health 2020; 2 (09) e475-e485
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 32 Callegari LS, Nelson KM, Arterburn DE. et al. Development and pilot testing of a patient-centered web-based reproductive decision support tool for primary care. J Gen Intern Med 2021; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-06506-6.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 33 TeenSource. What's Your (Reproductive Life) Plan? LA, US: TeenSource; 2015–2021. Accessed July 31, 2021 at: https://www.teensource.org/hookup/whats-your-reproductive-life-plan
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 34 Best Start Resource Centre. Toronto, Canada: Health Nexus Sante; 2018. . Accessed July 31, 2021 at: http://en.beststart.org/
  Google Scholar
• 35 Best Start Resource Centre. My Life My Plan. Toronto, Canada: Health Nexus Sante; 2014. . Accessed July 31, 2021 at: https://www.rcdhu.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BS_MyLifeMyPlan_Teens.pdf
  Google Scholar
• 36 Fischl AF, Herman WH, Sereika SM. et al. Impact of a preconception counseling program for teens with type 1 diabetes (READY-Girls) on patient-provider interaction, resource utilization, and cost. Diabetes Care 2010; 33 (04) 701-705
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 37 Hipp SL, Chung-Do J, McFarlane E. Systematic review of interventions for reproductive life planning. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2019; 48 (02) 131-139
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 38 Bello JK, Adkins K, Stulberg DB, Rao G. Perceptions of a reproductive health self-assessment tool (RH-SAT) in an urban community health center. Patient Educ Couns 2013; 93 (03) 655-663
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 39 Dunlop AL, Logue KM, Miranda MC, Narayan DA. Integrating reproductive planning with primary health care: an exploration among low-income, minority women and men. Sex Reprod Healthc 2010; 1 (02) 37-43
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 40 Callegari LS, Borrero S, Reiber GE. et al. Reproductive life planning in primary care: a qualitative study of women veterans' perceptions. Womens Health Issues 2015; 25 (05) 548-554
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 41 Kransdorf LN, Raghu TS, Kling JM. et al. Reproductive life planning: a cross-sectional study of what college students know and believe. Matern Child Health J 2016; 20 (06) 1161-1169
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 42 Koropeckyj-Cox T, Call VR. Characteristics of older childless persons and parents: cross-national comparisons. J Fam Issues 2007; 28: 1362-1414
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 43 Henderson V, Stumbras K, Caskey R, Haider S, Rankin K, Handler A. Understanding factors associated with postpartum visit attendance and contraception choices: listening to low-income postpartum women and health care providers. Matern Child Health J 2016; 20 (Suppl. 01) 132-143
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 44 Tydén T, Verbiest S, Van Achterberg T, Larsson M, Stern J. Using the Reproductive Life Plan in contraceptive counselling. Ups J Med Sci 2016; 121 (04) 299-303
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 45 Niemeyer Hultstrand J, Engström E, Målqvist M, Tydén T, Maseko N, Jonsson M. Evaluating the implementation of the Reproductive Life Plan in disadvantaged communities: a mixed-methods study using the i-PARIHS framework. PLoS One 2020; 15 (09) e0236712
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 46 Walker R, Drakeley S, Julce C. et al. Assessing the potential of a Virtual Patient Advocate to provide preconception care and health advice to women living in Australia. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2021; 12 (02) 300-308
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 47 Walker R, Drakeley S, Boyle J. Preconception women's views of promoting preconception women's health in Australia. Health Promot J Aust 2020; DOI: 10.1002/hpja.402.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 48 Stern J, Bodin M, Grandahl M. et al. Midwives' adoption of the reproductive life plan in contraceptive counselling: a mixed methods study. Hum Reprod 2015; 30 (05) 1146-1155
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 49 Mittal P, Dandekar A, Hessler D. Use of a modified reproductive life plan to improve awareness of preconception health in women with chronic disease. Perm J 2014; 18 (02) 28-32
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 50 Walker R, Drakeley S, Welch R. et al. Teachers' perspectives of sexual and reproductive health education in primary and secondary schools: a systematic review of qualitative studies. Sex Educ 2020; 18: 1-18
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 51 Bickmore T, Zhang Z, Reichert M, Julce C, Jack B. Promotion of preconception care among adolescents and young adults by conversational agent. J Adolesc Health 2020; 67 (2S) S45-S51
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 52 Rigsby DC, Macones GA, Driscoll DA. Risk factors for rapid repeat pregnancy among adolescent mothers: a review of the literature. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 1998; 11 (03) 115-126
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 53 Chen BA, Reeves MF, Hayes JL, Hohmann HL, Perriera LK, Creinin MD. Postplacental or delayed insertion of the levonorgestrel intrauterine device after vaginal delivery: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol 2010; 116 (05) 1079-1087
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 54 Aslam RW, Hendry M, Booth A. et al. Intervention Now to Eliminate Repeat Unintended Pregnancy in Teenagers (INTERUPT): a systematic review of intervention effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, and qualitative and realist synthesis of implementation factors and user engagement. BMC Med 2017; 15 (01) 155-155
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 55 Hindin MJ, Kalamar AM, Thompson TA, Upadhyay UD. Interventions to prevent unintended and repeat pregnancy among young people in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of the published and gray literature. J Adolesc Health 2016; 59 (3, Suppl): S8-S15
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 56 Cohen R, Sheeder J, Arango N, Teal SB, Tocce K. Twelve-month contraceptive continuation and repeat pregnancy among young mothers choosing postdelivery contraceptive implants or postplacental intrauterine devices. Contraception 2016; 93 (02) 178-183
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 57 Rose SB, Lawton BA. Impact of long-acting reversible contraception on return for repeat abortion. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2012; 206 (01) 37.e1-37.e6
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 58 Nolan C, Packel L, Hope R. et al. Design and impact evaluation of a digital reproductive health program in Rwanda using a cluster randomized design: study protocol. BMC Public Health 2020; 20 (01) 1701
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar