The Complex Dynamic Between Sexual Concurrency and Pregnancy Desire

Objective: This study examines how sexual concurrency, when an individual engages in multiple sexual relationships that intersect in time, is associated with pregnancy desire. Background: Research on sexual concurrency often overlooks its relationship to broader familial processes. Concurrency is most prevalent in young adulthood, a life stage marked by increasing deliberation over childbearing, and may shape expectations about the relationship's future, including desires to have children together. Method: We analyzed high-frequency data collected weekly over 2.5 years from 897 young women in the United States. Using fixed and random effects regression models, we estimated associations between sexual concurrency and pregnancy desire. Results: In the short term, sexual concurrency, whether committed by the woman or perceived in her partner, was associated with a decline in pregnancy desire. Over time, repeated concurrency by women was negatively associated with pregnancy desire, whereas ongoing partner concurrency was positively associated with pregnancy desire, particularly, within highly committed relationships. Conclusion: Life circumstances that disrupt or reshape relationships can be related to changes in fertility preferences. In the context of sexual concurrency, young adults may adjust their pregnancy desires in ways that may have implications for subsequent fertility and family-related behavior. Implications: The application of social exchange and investment theory highlights how relationship context informs fertility preferences and offers a foundation for research on broader implications of sexual concurrency.