Unplanned pregnancies doubled during lockdown, study shows

Difficulty securing a GP appointment and uncertainty around which services were still open contributed to rise, writes Tom Batchelor

The vast majority of births are planned, but unplanned pregnancies rose from 1.3 per cent pre-lockdown to 2.1 per cent post-lockdown (PA)

The number of unplanned pregnancies doubled during last year’s Covid lockdown as women struggled to access contraception, a study suggests.

Difficulty securing a GP appointment and uncertainty around which services were still open meant women were more likely to report difficulties in accessing healthcare such as the morning-after pill.

Researchers at UCL and University College London Hospital found women were nine times more likely to have difficulties in finding contraception after the first lockdown was implemented in March 2020.