Use of Contraceptive Methods among Pakistani Women in Southern Punjab and Perception about their Effectiveness
Abstract
Objective: To study the general trends about the use of different contraceptive methods among rural and urban women; and ascertain their perception about the effectiveness of contraceptives and associate desire for
fertility, parity, and birth control measures among the women of rural and urban areas.
Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study.
Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in the Gynecology department of Mukhtar. A Sheikh Hospital, Multan from 3th of October 2019 to 3th of March 2020.
Materials and Methods: A total of 200 women aged between 31-41 years and varying literacy rates were
included in the study. The participants belonged to both rural and urban areas and interviewed for their
desirability for fertility. Negative responses were asked further probed regarding their perspective about
contraception and preferred method. Data was analyzed on SPSS software 23.0.
Results: Out of 200 female patients, 75% urban and 65.4% rural women expressed no desire for fertility, The
contraceptive utilization was reported 91.6% among urban and 76.9% among rural women. Among the rural
and urban users of contraceptives, the barrier method was the most frequently used method with the
percentage of 50% and 42.3%, respectively. Among women with parity less than or equal to 3, 61.5% had no
desire for fertility and 56.4% were using the barrier method while all the women (31.4%) with parity greater
than 3 expressed no desire for fertility and were using copper IUDs for contraception. Although, 30.4% of urban
women regarded contraception methods as most effective yet only 18.8% found them completely effective.
Conclusion: The prevalence rate of contraception in Pakistan has drastically risen among both rural and urban
women but traditional barrier methods remain the frequent method of use. However, majority still believe that
contraceptive methods are not effective. Therefore, awareness campaigns should be launched to increase their
acceptability and eliminate myths.
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