[2] Pregnancy provides a unique opportunity for healthcare workers to screen women for domestic violence though a recent review found that the best way in which to do this is unclear.
[3] Reducing domestic violence in pregnancy should improve outcomes for mothers and babies though more good quality studies are needed to work out effective ways of screening pregnant women.
Replacing birth control pills with fakes, puncturing condoms, and threats and violence are examples of prevention of an individual's attempt to avoid pregnancy.
Pregnancy-promoting behavior of abusive male partners is one method of domestic violence and is associated with unwanted pregnancy, particularly in adolescents.
[7] Reproductive coercion itself is a form of domestic violence because it results from unwanted sexual activity and hinders a woman's ability to control her body.
[15] A study conducted by the Center for Impact Research on young mothers classified birth control sabotage into two categories: verbal and behavioral.
[16] Because this can lead to decreased violence, some women use pregnancy as a means of protection against domestic abuse.
Since abuse generally restarts after the pregnancy ends, women may get pregnant intentionally to prevent violence.
A violent pregnancy is considered high risk because verbal, emotional, and physical abuse all lead to adverse health consequences for both the mother and fetus.
[18] Violence during pregnancy also leads to additional risks for the mother such as increased mental health problems, suicide attempts, worsening of chronic illness, injury, substance abuse, anxiety, stress, chronic pain, and gynecological problems.
A Canadian study that outlined causes of physical abuse identified “social instability” (e.g. low age, unmarried, lower level of education, and unemployment) as a trigger for violence and used unplanned pregnancies as an example.
[30] Younger women are statistically more susceptible to reproductive coercion and this may be due to less experience in relationships and, for minors, less access to doctor's appointments and emergency contraception.
Adolescents are especially at risk and teenage pregnancy is correlated with increased rates of domestic violence.