Family planning helps individuals achieve their reproductive goals.
Family planning care should not have a singular focus of preventing unintended pregnancy, as this is not consistent with all patients' preferences or necessary to optimize health outcomes.
Providers can focus on helping women and men reach their desired reproductive outcomes by supporting them to make informed decisions about their fertility and contraceptive use that are aligned with their preferences and reproductive goals.1
| Potential pitfalls | Patient-centered alternatives |
| Assuming all women will have a binary intention to either pursue or avoid pregnancy. | Asking open-ended questions that allow women to express ambivalent or mixed feelings about pregnancy. |
| Assuming that all ambivalence can and should be resolved. | Working collaboratively with women to identify strategies that meet their needs in the setting of ambivalence (ie, preparation for possibility of pregnancy). |
| Assuming that women will perceive unintended pregnancy as a universally "bad" outcome. | Recognizing that some women who do not have an active intention to pursue pregnancy may welcome unintended pregnancy. |
| Assuming that "pregnancy planning" is a concept that all women find meaningful and relevant. | Recognizing that some women may not value planning, or may feel that planning is not attainable due to their life circumstances (ie, lack of financial or relationship stability). |
| Allowing personal judgment of women's reproductive desires or goals to influence counseling. | Providing nonjudgmental counseling and support, which respects women's reproductive autonomy. |
| Assuming all women who could potentially become pregnant will be receptive to preconception counseling. | Tailoring information delivery to women's preferences and needs, based on open conversations about reproductive goals. |