A Prospective Study on Utilization of Contraceptives among Women in Reproductive Age Group

Dr. Oviya T., Dr. Jikki Kalaiselvi, Dr. Vijayalakshmi Gnanasekaran

Abstract: Introduction: Contraceptives prevents the unintended pregnancies and has greatly evolved with growing time to avail safer and more effective means of pregnancy and STD prevention (Festin, 2020). The growing necessitation for family planning has greatly impacted on the overall health benefits of women, this includes with minimising the maternalillnesses and also from the gyenocological perspectives pertaining to pregnancy-related fatalities, pregnancy delays among the older women and also in young adults, and minimizing need towards unsafe abortions and HIV transmissions (Teal & Edelman, 2021; Rehnstr?m Loi, 2020). This paper explores and assesses the management practices and knowledge related to the contraceptive usage among the women within the reproductive age can help identify gaps and inform strategies to improve reproductive health services. Aim: The paper aims to investigate contraceptives usage among women within the reproductive age group. Objectives: 1) To assess the overall prevalence on usage of contraceptive among the study group of reproductive women group among sample population within the reproductive age group. 2) To identify on the types of contraceptives that are employed and overall frequency of usage among the reproductive age group of study population. 3) To explore the sociodemographic factors that influences contraceptive use among the study population. Materials and Methods: Study Place: This study had conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at A.C.S. Medical College and Hospital. Sample Size: A total of100 women in their reproductive age are included in the study. Study Design: Prospective study design investigation was employed. Method: The study employed a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire employed for data collection regarding the contraceptive usage and its awareness. The study questionnaire covered sociodemographic profile, knowledge on contraceptive usage, and the patterns of usage, and factors that impact on contraceptive use. The questionnaire survey design was developed in accordance from the previous study conducted by Hemanth et al., (2023). Participants were from the women in reproductive age group (within the age group of 18-49 years), who consented with participation in research. Collected data had been gathered and entered in Excel spreadsheet and further transferred to SPSS version 28 for analysis. In addition, descriptive statistics had been employed for describing the study population. In addition, Chi-square test had been employed for testing the association between dependent and independent variables (contraceptive & its usage, choice and discontinuation). In addition, the p-value had been set at ? 0.05, which is referred as statistically significant. Inclusion Criteria: 1) Study population comprising of women within the age group between 15-49 years. 2) Women attending the outpatient department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 3) Women who gave informed consent to participate in the study. Women using contraceptives. Exclusion Criteria: 1) Women with a history of sterilization. 2) Women who had been pregnant or planning to conceive within the study period. 3) Women with medical conditions contraindicating contraceptive use. Conclusion: Various socio-demographic factors influencing contraceptive use among married women are pointed out by the study. Employment (especially in the government sector), younger age, lower education levels, middle-income levels and nuclear family structure are in association with higher use of contraceptive. These findings emphasize the need for targeted public health strategies to address the diverse needs and perceptions of different demographic groups.

Keywords: contraceptive use, reproductive health, family planning, sociodemographic factors, women's health