CONTRACEPTION PREVALENCE RATE AMONG WOMEN TO PATIENTS COMING TO SHAIKH ZAID WOMEN HOSPITAL LARKANA SINDH

Abstract

Contraceptive use is an important factor that supports maternal health, reduce unintended pregnancies and enhance family planning services. Although there are available options of contraceptive methods in Pakistan, there is a variable use of contraceptive due to sociocultural, educational and economic barriers. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of contraceptive use among the women patients attending Shaikh Zaid Women Hospital, Larkana, Sindh and to find the common method of contraceptive used and the factors affecting the use of contraceptive in women patients. The descriptive cross sectional study design was used and the data was collected from women of reproductive age who visited the outpatient department of Shaikh Zaid Women Hospital. The information was collected through a structured questionnaire which included items on demographic characteristics, contraceptive use, type of method used and reasons for non-use. The data gathered were analysed descriptively and frequencies and percentages calculated. The results of the study will shed light on the overall prevalence of contraceptive use among the study population and also provide an insight into the trend of contraceptive use by age, education, and socio-economic status. The results of barrier analysis showed that the reasons for low contraceptive use among non-users were lack of awareness, cultural restrictions, fear of side effects, and limited access to family planning services. It can be concluded from the study that people have access to contraceptive methods but the use of them is not optimal among women patients in the study setting.