Tricked into parenthood: How men are SABOTAGING women's birth control in a bid to 'leave a legacy' By Sadie Whitelocks Men are 'tricking' women into pregnancy by sabotaging their efforts to use contraception, doctors are warning. A study led by Brown University involving 641 ob-gyn patients, found that 16per cent had been with partners who had pricked holes in condoms or hid birth control pills behind their backs. Experts suggest that men resort to these measures because they 'want to leave a legacy', have an 'intense desire for a nuclear family', or want to exercise control. Unprepared: Men are 'tricking' women into pregnancy by sabotaging birth control, doctors are warning The phenomenon, known as 'reproductive coercion', is thought to generally affect unmarried, sexually active women who are already in abusive relationships. Commenting on the findings, lead researcher Dr Lindsay Clark, said: 'I was very interested in looking at the question of why our patients get pregnant after we have performed contraception counseling.' While previous studies suggested the trend was limited to low-income women who are disproportionately affected by domestic violence, the latest findings show it is a wider issue. Dr Clark and her team looked at a general population of patients, with and without private insurance, and found that pregnancy coercion happened at a similar rate regardless of socioeconomic and educational background. 'What is striking is that reproductive coercion affected women of all socioeconomic levels and educational backgrounds,' she said, '[It] doesn't just affect poor and uneducated women.' Touching on men's motivations Dr Elizabeth Miller, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, previously told The New York Times: 'Some have an intense desire for a nuclear family, and many who had experiences of a dysfunctional family home want something better. Some men have an intense desire for a nuclear family, and many who had experiences of a dysfunctional family home want something better [Some young men], want to leave a legacy . . .Gang-affiliated young men want the status that comes with having babies from multiple women. Alarmingly, Dr Clark's results indicate that the number of cases are on the rise. A 2010 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 4.8per cent of women's partners engaged in 'reproductive coercion'. While the recent study pushes that number up to 16per cent. In a bid to curtail the problem, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that ob-gyns routinely screen women during visits, asking questions like, 'Does your partner support your decision about when or if you want to become pregnant?' They also note that doctors can provide 'concealed' contraceptive methods, such as giving birth control pills in plain envelopes or using copper Intrauterine Devices (IUD) with the strings trimmed to prevent detection. While these guidelines are aimed at doctors who treat women, men can also be subject to pressure. About 8.7per cent of men reported having a partner who tried to get pregnant against their wishes in the 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey.