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An Expansion Of The Ppe Program Essay

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Introduction Nearly half of all pregnancies today are unintended.1 When doctors, particularly primary care providers, ask the One Key Question (OKQ): “Would you like to become pregnant in the next year?”, women can discuss their reproductive life plans and be equipped with the knowledge and resources to best achieve their answer. Unintended pregnancies, which are either mistimed or unwanted, are associated with increased health risks for both mom and baby, as a woman may not be in optimal health prior to conception. Minority women are more than twice as likely to experience an unintended pregnancy or unintended birth than their white counterparts.2 The Preconception Peer Education (PPE) program similarly works to promote positive reproductive health decision-making for adolescents. Early and frequent promotion and re-evaluation of one’s reproductive life plan is critical to reducing unintended pregnancies and improving birth outcomes. Additionally, facilitation of discussion by primary care physicians can help to improve preconception behavior. This memo will demonstrate why the OKQ must be implemented as an expansion of the PPE program to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in Boston and ultimately improve birth outcomes.
Background
Preconception health is one of the most important things to mitigate the risk of adverse health outcomes for women and neonates by improving knowledge and health prior to conception. Preconception care and early development of

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