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Accessibility, Use, Misuse And Effects Of Combined Oral Contraceptives Among Women Of Child Bearing Age
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INTRODUCTION
Over the world, family planning and contraception is among the pertinent issues been discussed. In the early days, human societies had creation of as many children as possible, a central value. Today however, relatively few societies can afford this perspective, resulting in increased attempts to limit and manage the birth rate of their families of which Nigeria is no exception. The negative effect of high fertility rate on women and their children, and the benefits of fertility control are well known (Dona et. al., 2008).
The situation in Africa is as low as 25 percent, the lowest among developing regions in the world (RAND, 1998; UNFPA, 2001). In West Africa, about 36 percent of women are using contraceptives and this rate varies from a low percentage of 22 percent in Mali, 26 percent in Togo, 32 percent in Burkina Faso, and 33 percent in Nigeria (Dona et. al., 2008, UNDP, 2008). In Nigeria, a country with multiple ethnic sets and religious groupings, efforts made by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other agencies on the use of contraceptives have resulted in a general increase over the last two decades (Ann et al 2002, UNDP, 2008). There has also been a drop in fertility rate from 6.4 percent in the 1970s to 4.4 percent in 2005 (UNDP, 2008).
Currently, a national contraceptive use of 33 per cent has been estimated even though 43 percent of married women in the country desire to space their children and an additional 24 percent need to limit births. The disparity of use of family planning methods among the urban and rural, and rich and poor puts many women in most deprived settings at a disadvantage (GSS, 2003). The use of contraceptives since 1960 have helped women worldwide to prevent about 400 million pregnancies, as a result, women lives have been saved from high risk of pregnancies. Again, contraceptives methods do excellent double duty as prophylactics (disease preventer), latex rubber and polyethylene condoms provide a barrier against STIs and HIV/AIDS infection whose spread is alarming in the country (Harvey, 2000).
The major concern here is about the accessibility, use, misuse and effect of combined contraceptives among women of child bearing age. Even though contraceptives have emerged in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and sometimes STI, it has not been fully accepted by most communities for women of child bearing age to use them.
CONCEPTS
Knowledge on contraceptives
This sub-section is intended to review information on the knowledge and awareness level of contraceptive. Knowing about contraceptives is presumed to be a first step in stimulating the desire for its use. In the year (2000) Takyi declared that knowledge assessment of contraceptives therefore does not only determine the extent of awareness and sensitization but further provides the background for which use of the service is further evaluated. Evaluation in this sense relates with the background characteristics, principally social, of users that influence these awareness and sensitization levels.
In 1998 the popular form of contraception for sexually active Canadian women surveyed was oral contraceptives (OCs) (Fisher et al, 1998). Seventy-three percent users at the time of the survey expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the pill, although misperceptions were prevalent. Few women knew it was safe for nonsmokers to take the pill after age 35, and that the pill reduces certain cancers. When asked whether taking the pill presented fewer health risks than pregnancy, just 4% strongly agreed.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
Page 1 of 4
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