Liu, FuqinMcFarlane, Judith M.Maddoux, John A.Cesario, SandraGilroy, HeidiNava, Angeles2018-03-282018-03-282016-07This is a published version of an article that is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2016.01.004. Recommended citation: Liu, F., McFarlane, J., Maddoux, J. A., Cesario, S., Gilroy, H., & Nava, A. (2016). Perceived fertility control and pregnancy outcomes among abused women. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 45(4), 592–600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2016.01.004. This item has been deposited in accordance with publisher copyright and licensing terms and with the author’s permission.http://hdl.handle.net/11274/9453https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2016.01.004Objective: To describe the degree of perceived fertility control and associated likelihood of unintended pregnancy and poor pregnancy outcomes among women who report intimate partner violence. Design: Cross-sectional cohort study design. Setting: Five domestic violence shelters and one district attorney's office in a large urban metropolis in the United States. Participants: A total of 282 women who reported intimate partner violence and reached out for the first time to a shelter or district attorney's office for assistance. Methods: This 7-year prospective longitudinal study began in 2011. Participants in the overarching study are being interviewed every 4 months. During the 32-month interview period, participants responded to a one-time, investigator-developed, fertility control questionnaire in addition to the ongoing repeated measures. Results: Almost one third (29%) of the participants reported at least one unintended pregnancy attributed to their abusers' refusal to use birth control, and 14.3% of the participants reported at least one unintended pregnancy as a result of their abusers' refusal to allow them to use birth control. Participants were 28 times more likely to have abuse-induced miscarriages if their pregnancies resulted because their abusers did not use birth control (OR = 28.70, p < .05). Finally, participants were 8 times more likely to report premature births if they were abused because of their use of birth control (OR = 8.340, p < .05). Conclusion: Women in abusive relationships reported compromised fertility control associated with abuse and increased risk for unintended pregnancy as well as the adverse pregnancy outcomes of premature birth and miscarriage.en-USFertility controlIntimate partner violenceMiscarriagePremature birthUnintended pregnancyArticleCC BY-NC-ND 4.0