Background and Objective: Unwanted pregnancy can have negative impacts on maternal health. The aim of this study was to compare the health status of women with wanted and unwanted pregnancies in Kerman, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This case – control was performed on women with wanted (100 cases) and unwanted pregnancies (100 cases) whom refered to health centers in Kerman, Iran during 2010. The tool for data collection included a demographic questionnaire, short form 36 health survey (SF36) and a researcher-made pregnancy’s  physical health. Validity and reliability of the questionnaires were assessed initially prior to study procedure. Data was analyzed by using SPSS-16, Chi-Square, T Student and Mann-Whitney tests.

Results: Women with unwanted pregnancies had lower scores for physical and mental health, vaccination and supplement consumption, prenatal care and personal health than women with wanted pregnancies (P<0.05). Women with unwanted pregnancies had more complications and high risk behavior compared to unwanted pregnancies (P<0.05).

Conclusion: This study indicated that unwanted pregnancies are accompanied with physical and mental health. Thus, special counseling and extra care measures is recommended during unwanted pregnancies. Pregnancy

Background and Objective: Fear of childbirth is a common problem during pregnancy. Previous studies have shown that pregnancy outcomes and experiences can significantly vary across various ethnic groups. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fear of childbirth among pregnant mothers of various ethnicities referring to comprehensive health service centers in Gorgan, Iran.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 341 pregnant women of Fars, Turkmen, and Sistani/Baluch ethnicities using a random sampling method at comprehensive health service centers in Gorgan during 2023. Data collection instruments consisted of a demographic and pregnancy characteristics form and the Childbirth Fear Questionnaire (CFQ; Zar and Wijma).
Results: The mean fear of childbirth score in pregnant women was determined to be 69.88±20.19 (severe fear). Among all studied groups, mild fear (21 individuals), moderate fear (100 individuals), severe fear (147 individuals), and clinical fear (73 individuals) were identified in 6.2%, 29.3%, 43.1%, and 21.4% of the pregnant women, respectively. The combined prevalence of severe and clinical fear of childbirth among pregnant women of Sistani/Baluch, Turkmen, and Fars ethnicities was determined to be 73%, 73.3%, and 52.2%, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). A statistically significant relationship was observed among the variables of age, gestational period, and the level of satisfaction with prenatal care received at comprehensive health service centers (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Severe and clinical fear of childbirth is more prevalent among pregnant women of Sistani/Baluch and Turkmen ethnicities compared to the Fars ethnicity.