Nearly one in three Irish women has experienced a crisis pregnancy, according to new and as yet unpublished figures.
The statistics, which for the first time provide accurate data on the extent of crisis pregnancy in the State, also show that it is not just an issue for teenagers.
While 55 per cent of such pregnancies were experienced by 18-25-year-olds, 31 per cent were experienced by those in the 26-35 age group, and some 18 per cent were experienced by persons in the 36-45-year-old age bracket.
In addition, the findings, which come from a study commissioned by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, explode the myth that a majority of crisis pregnancies ends in abortion. In fact, most women decide to have their baby.
The study was conducted by surveying a nationally representative sample of 3,317 men and women. This was done by researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons and the ESRI.
Of all those who reported ever being affected by pregnancy - some 1,874 of the sample - some 29 per cent of women reported that they had experienced a crisis pregnancy, while 23 per cent of men said they had been in a situation where a pregnancy had presented a crisis. Furthermore, 13 per cent of those surveyed experienced more than one crisis pregnancy.
Of the women who said they experienced a crisis pregnancy, three-quarters went on to give birth and 15 per cent had an abortion. A further 6 per cent had a miscarriage and 1 per cent had a still birth. The other 3 per cent were pregnant when surveyed.
And among the women who gave birth, more than half - some 57 per cent - raised the child with the birth father.
Another significant finding was that most men and women were in a steady relationship at the time of their most recent crisis pregnancy situation. The study found 41 per cent of the women who had a crisis pregnancy were in a steady relationship, 23 per cent had known their sexual partner for a while but did not have a steady relationship, and 18 per cent were married.
When the answers of men were looked at, 48 per cent said they were in a stable relationship at the time they experienced a crisis pregnancy situation, with 22 per cent saying they were married, 11 per cent living together and 11 per cent knowing each other but not in a steady relationship at the time.
Ms Olive Braiden, chairwoman of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, said when people thought of crisis pregnancy they thought of teenage girls and one-night stands, but the study showed this was not an accurate reflection of those who experienced crisis pregnancy.
The study also looked at the support services available to those who had had a crisis pregnancy. More than half the women who had gone through the experience said other services or supports could have made the experience easier. Over a quarter said counselling or having someone to talk to would have helped, and one in 10 said having information on all their options would have made the experience easier.
The Crisis Pregnancy Agency, the statutory body established to combat crisis pregnancy in 2001, has already funded the expansion of counselling services by 44 per cent, but Ms Braiden acknowledged there were still some "gaps" around the country.
The agency also provides details by text message of agencies offering free counselling services on all their options. Those seeking information should text LIST to 50444.