The 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis below, examined 36,214 pregnant women across 37 studies to better understand the prevalence and risk factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy. The findings are alarming: approximately one in three pregnant women (34%) experience some form of IPV, including physical, sexual, emotional, or controlling behaviours, during pregnancy.
The research identified key risk factors, such as young maternal age, unemployment, low education, unintended pregnancy, substance use by partners (alcohol, smoking, khat), economic stress (including COVID-19–related income loss), rural or isolated living conditions, and previous experiences of violence. These interconnected factors highlight the root causes of IPV as structural, relational, and intergenerational, rather than isolated incidents.
Reflection for FASD Prevention Conversation Facilitators
This research reinforces what Prevention Conversation Facilitators already know: pregnancy is not automatically a protective period; in fact, it can be a high-risk time for violence and coercion. Conversations about alcohol use in pregnancy cannot be separated from conversations about power, control, stress, and safety.
For some women, alcohol or substance use during pregnancy may not be a choice made freely; it may be influenced by partner pressure, trauma coping, or fear of retaliation. Likewise, unintended or unsupported pregnancies are closely linked to increased risk of IPV, which directly intersects with FASD prevention, reproductive autonomy, and healthy relationships education.