Research Article - Journal of Public Health Policy and Planning (2022) Volume 6, Issue 1

Time to discontinuation of long acting reversible contraceptive methods among married reproductive age women in Hadiya zone.

Background: A retrospective cohort study examining the effects of individual characteristics, side effects experienced, and service quality on contraceptive discontinuation was undertaken in six health facilities and one hospital of Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. The data was taken from the collection of September 2010 to June 2015 follow up forms. The baseline population included 563 women aged 15–49 who were new or continuing users of the injectable, IUD, or oral contraceptive pill.

Methods: The study design employed being a retrospective cohort study, a recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Reproductive Health Surveys (RHS) have not collected the necessary data to calculate discontinuation rates and provided that there is densely populated population. A total of 473 women (84%) were re-interviewed after one year. Life tables and Coxproportional hazards models were used to present discontinuation rates and factors associated with contraceptive discontinuation. Among new users, discontinuation of the baseline method at 12 months was high (45%); Especially for users of the injectables (50%).

Results: The prevalence of discontinuation and switching of contraceptive method among women were found to be 38.4% and 15.4%, respectively. The model demonstrated that women in early reproductive years (15–20 and 21–25) significantly more often (odds ratio (OR) = 0.84 and 0.71, respectively) discontinued the use of contraceptives. Significantly higher rates of discontinuation were pronounced among women who used the pill (OR =0.72) and injectables contraception users (OR = 0.60), had small family size (OR =0.49), lived in a rural community (OR = 1.65), and who were less educated (OR = 1.55).

Conclusions: Contraceptive discontinuation may reflect an association among less education, currently married, and smaller family size. Awareness of contraceptive methods can decrease the burden of unplanned pregnancies and thus progresses the family planning program.

Author(s): Ashenafi Abebe Gaenamo, Nebiyu Dereje Abebe

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