CONTRACEPTIVE AWARENESS & USE AMONG WOMEN SEEKING TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
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Abstract
Objective: To determine the status of contraceptive awareness and its use in women seeking termination of pregnancy.
Material and Methods: This descriptive, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Civil Hospital, Jamrud from March 2013 to April 2014, on 54 women presenting at OPD and seeking termination of pregnancy.
Results: Their ages ranged from 15-49 years with mean age of 32 (± 2 years) and the predominant age group was 30-35 years (42%). Majority of the respondents were married (96%), did not have any formal education (65%) and were house wives (81%). Ninty-four percent were multigravida with mean number of children being 5. Majority of the respondents (83%) were aware of contraceptives but only 27% had ever used any method. The most common method used was oral contraceptives. The most common reasons quoted for seeking termination of pregnancy were having too many children (58%) and poverty (52%). Husbands’/in-laws’ opposition (22%) and perceiving contraception as against social/religious norms (30%) were the major reasons for not using contraception.
Conclusion: Despite reasonable contraceptive awareness, the actual use is very low among women seeking termination
of pregnancy. The socio-cultural and religious myths regarding contraception are the key factors in hampering its uptake and reducing the incidence of induced abortion.
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