Some implications of self-selection for pregnancy.

Though women have always been able to exercise some control over the risk of an unwanted preg nancy, the availability of effective and acceptable contraceptive methods and of abortion have made voluntary control of fertility by the individual simpler and more certain than ever. The object of this paper is to examine the degree and features of self-selection for pregnancy in one community (Aberdeen) in the 'pre-pill' era and to assess the implications of an increase in fertility control for the interpretation of national and hospital statistics.