Family planning in Southern India: A survey of women's attitudes

Abstract

Women were recruited from villages in the Belgaum district of India. Members of the research team obtained consent and led 58 interviews in the local languages. Participants were asked questions covering topics related to postpartum contraceptive counseling, knowledge, and experience; postpartum sexual practice; birth spacing desire and counseling; and interest in long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). Women generally desired 3 years of birth spacing. A majority did not receive counseling regarding postpartum contraception during the prenatal period, although most would have liked to have received such counseling. Those who had made a contraceptive plan during the prenatal period had an odds ratio of 25.2 (95% CI 4.9-128.6, p = 0.00001) for using postpartum contraception. Influences on contraceptive decisions primarily came from friends and family, while information from medical providers was not a major influence. Most women did not believe they could make their own decisions regarding contraception use, but those who did had an adjusted odds ratio of 56 (95% CI 3.4-9161, p = 0.0047) of utilizing postpartum contraception. Women generally liked the idea of LARCs. A large majority of the women surveyed (89.66%) liked the idea of a subdermal contraceptive implant, a method currently unavailable in this region. Ultimately, the women surveyed do have healthy attitudes and goals regarding birth spacing but few utilize effective contraception in order to meet their goals. Further efforts in counseling as well as availability of a wider variety of contraceptive methods, including the subdermal contraceptive implant, may decrease the disparity between desires and practices.