The funding for the P3 study has officially finished, so we thought we would take this opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved (so far!).

The P3 study aimed to assess women’s feelings and preferences regarding a future pregnancy. Women completed an online survey and were followed up every 3 months for 1 year. Overall, a total of 1000 women took part in the study; with 858 women enrolling within just 2 weeks of the study opening and all 1000 being enrolled within 3 weeks! The study also had a very high level of follow up, with 838 women completing the 12 months follow up survey; this was over 90% of eligible women which is incredibly high. We think this was in part because the research covered topics of interest to the participants that are rarely covered, which is why we also received really positive feedback from participants:

“This is something I think about a lot so am glad of the chance to explore my own feelings and share in a way which I hope can be helpful”

“I think this is crucial research, looking forward to the results.”

“Thank you for doing this research! I’m really interested to see the results!”

So far, the survey has resulted in a total of five published papers (see our other blog posts for more information). We have shown that the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) Scale (a measure of a person’s preferences about a future pregnancy) is suitable for use in the UK; we have shown that it is highly predictive of pregnancy; and have considered its clinical use by exploring the performance of individual DAP questions. We have also shown that the Reproductive Autonomy Scale (RAS) (a screening tool to measure women’s reproductive autonomy) is valid and reliable for use in the UK. Finally, we have developed an integrated, community-based model that combines reproductive life planning, contraception, and preconception care, providing a holistic, life course approach. The work has been picked up by the media, with articles in both the Daily Mail and the Mirror. We have also presented this work at several conferences, including the 5th European Conference on Preconception Health and Care in Sept 2022.  

Although the funding for this study has now finished, we will continue to disseminate and take this work forward. We are producing a video to be shared on social media which aims to encourage people of reproductive age to think about their pregnancy preferences, we are presenting work at the RCOG World Congress, the FSRH Annual Scientific Meeting and ESHRE Annual Meeting later this year and plan to publish a few more papers. This work has also formed the basis of Orchid, our app that helps you take control of your reproductive health.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the P3 study! If you signed up for a report of the findings you will receive this in the next few months.