Post Abortion Women’s Perceptions of Utilizing Long Acting Reversible Contraceptive Methods in Uganda. A Qualitative Study

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Author(s) 

Othman Kakaire^1*, Janet Nakiggude², John C. Lule¹, Josaphat K. Byamugisha¹

Affiliation(s)

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Science, Kampala, Uganda.
²Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Science Kampala, Uganda.

ABSTRACT

Background: About one-third of all pregnancies that occur in low income countries are unintended. An estimated 1.2 million unwanted pregnancies occur in Uganda annually. The majority of the unwanted pregnancies end in unsafe abortion which is one of the five direct causes of maternal mortality. Abortion related complications are responsible for 26% of all maternal deaths in Uganda. Abortion complications can be avoided if women appropriately use contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancy. However, in Uganda the contraceptive prevalence is low at 30% and less than 4% of women rely on long acting reversible contraceptives. Aim: We aimed to explore post-abortion women’s perceptions of using of long acting reversible contraception (LARC). Methods: A qualitative research design was used for data collection and analysis. Thirty in-depth interviews with post abortion women in Mulago hospital were carried out using an interview guide. Interviews were transcribed and coded using nodes and subsequently through query, we derived themes. Results: Emergent themes regarding women perceptions of using LARC methods were myths and misinformation, fear of side effects, women’s lived experiences, relatives’ influence, health providers’ perceptions, lack of knowledge and women desire for spacing children for a long time. Conclusion and recommendations: The majority of women were skeptical about using LARC. There is a need to educate women to dispel myths, misinformation and quality counseling to address the benefits and side effects of LARC. There is also a need to revamp the knowledge and skills of the healthcare providers regarding LARC methods.

KEYWORDS

Perceptions, Contraception, Family Planning, LARC, Post-Abortion

Cite this paper

Kakaire, O. , Nakiggude, J. , Lule, J. and Byamugisha, J. (2014) Post Abortion Women’s Perceptions of Utilizing Long Acting Reversible Contraceptive Methods in Uganda. A Qualitative Study. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 4, 1087-1097. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2014.416150.

 

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