Intention to use modern contraception in women with severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) presents a window of opportunity to scale up postpartum family planning to prevent future complications. This study aimed to determine the factors that affect the contraceptive intentions of women who survive SAMM in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria.
SAMM survivors aged 15–49 years were recruited after recovery and interviewed before discharge from the hospital.
Of the 330 women studied, 246 had wanted the index pregnancy. Although their knowledge of modern contraception was good, only 44.5% had ever used modern contraception. The main reason for not wanting to use modern contraception was that God should decide on the number of children. Injectables, pills, implants, and male condoms were the most standard contraceptive methods used. Of the women who gave reasons for stopping these contraceptives, the main reasons in 61% were the desire to conceive and fear of side effects. The majority of the women wished to have more children, and 69.1% intended to use contraception in the future.
The study concluded that male partner involvement and counseling to address religious views and fear of side effects are critical to accepting postpartum family planning in SAMM survivors.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2019.1569222
