Knowledge, Practice and Acceptance of Contraceptives Among MTP Seekers

Abstract

BACKGROUNDUnplanned pregnancy is the reason behind majority of MTPs in a developing and overpopulated country like India. The unmet need for contraception still poses a challenge despite the best efforts of the Government and other Non-Government Organisations. So counselling regarding knowledge and use of contraception should be an integral part of post-abortion care. Only with counselling can the acceptance of contraceptive be increased in women of reproductive age. Thus, unwanted pregnancies and the risks involved due to unsafe abortion in many cases can be avoided.The aim of this study is to study the knowledge and awareness of contraceptives and assess their acceptability in women seeking medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) at two tertiary health centres in Bhubaneswar. MATERIALS AND METHODSA cross-sectional study of 257 women seeking MTP in two tertiary care hospitals in Bhubaneswar. Data regarding awareness of contraception and their acceptance in post-abortion period was collected using a pre-structured questionnaire. RESULTSMajority of women seeking MTP had two or more living children (68.1%) and were between 21 -30 years of age (64.2%). Most of them had prior knowledge of contraception excepting few (8.1%). Commonest reason for not using them was fear of side effects. All the women were counselled prior to discharge and most of them (89.2%) agreed to adapt birth control methods. CONCLUSIONUnmet need of contraception is the most common reason for women having unplanned pregnancy. Though the awareness of different methods of contraception is high, the actual acceptance rate is low. Hence, there is a need for community health education to inculcate proper knowledge and ensure their use in the target population.