Lundsberg LS et al. – This study aimed at contributing to decision analysis by estimating utility, which is defined as an individual’s assessment of specific health states, for different pregnancy contexts. The results of the study demonstrated an association between significant patient–reported disutility and unintended pregnancy, similar to pregnancy that occurs in other unfavorable contexts. The most nuanced measures of utility for pregnancy in varying contexts were provided by visual analog scale (VAS)–based measurements.

Methods

• Cross–sectional analysis of data from pregnant women (N = 123; aged 27 ± 6 years, with mean gestation of 7.5 ± 3 weeks) was conducted.
• Measurement of utility was carried out using VAS, PROMIS Global Short Form (PROMIS–GSF)–derived utility, standard gamble (SG), and time–trade–off (TTO) approaches.
• In addition, 6 dimensions of pregnancy context (intention, desirability, planning, timing, wantedness, and happiness) were assessed.

Results

• Few women reported optimal pregnancy contexts and the mean utility of the pregnancy state varied across contexts, irrespective of how they were measured (VAS [0.28–0.91], PROMIS–GSF–derived utility [0.66–0.75], SG [0.985–1.00], or TTO [0.9990–0.99999]).
• The mean utility score for unintended pregnancy was 0.68 with VAS.
• A significant disutility of unintended pregnancy and all other unfavorable pregnancy contexts was reported when measured by VAS, unlike measurement with PROMIS–GSF–derived utility, which only detected a significant reduction in utility among ambivalent pregnancy compared with wanted pregnancy.
• However, SG and TTO did not reveal any meaningful differences in utility across pregnancy contexts.