Unmet need for postpartum family planning in Alexandria, Egypt

Publication date: Available online 8 May 2017
Source:Alexandria Journal of Medicine
Author(s): Heba Mahmoud Taha Elweshahi, Gihan Ismail Gewaifel, Sameh Saad EL-Din Sadek, Omnia Galal El-Sharkawy
BackgroundPostpartum women are a priority group to target on trying to solve the problem of closely spaced pregnancies as well as population explosion.AimTo estimate the level of unmet need for postpartum family planning one year after birth as well as identify factors associated with having unmet need in Alexandria, Egypt.MethodsA cross sectional survey was adopted. A sample of 1500 women one year post-partum was selected. A predesigned interviewing questionnaire was used to collect data. Data include their socio-demographic characteristics and current use of family planning method. Those with unmet need for postpartum family planning (PPFP) were asked about the reasons for non-use, their intention to use in the future and their knowledge about contraceptives.SettingPublic settings delivering routine immunization for infants in Alexandria.ResultsOut of 1500 postpartum women, 1370 (91.33%) have a real demand for family planning. Out of those with a real demand for family planning (n=1370), 1106 (80.72%) were using a modern contraceptive method and only 41 (3%) were using a traditional method for birth control while the remaining 223 (16.28%) were having unmet need for postpartum family planning. Amenorrhea, breast feeding, fear of side effects, discontinuation due to health concerns and pressure from the surroundings were the most common cited reasons for non-use.ConclusionIntegration of family planning education during antenatal, natal and postnatal care services in Egypt should be actively initiated. Women with unmet need for PPFP in general and those with intention to use a contraceptive in particular should be targeted for recruitment efforts and services in any program tackle the problem of family planning and rising fertility in Egypt.



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