scholarly journals CONTRACEPTIVE USE AND REASONS FOR TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING A REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CLINIC AT A DISTRICT HOSPITAL, FREE STATE, SOUTH AFRICA

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Torriente ◽  
Gina Joubert ◽  
Wilhelm Steinberg
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Charity C Mazuba ◽  
Kefiloe A Maboe ◽  
Annalie D H Botha

This study investigated sexual activity, knowledge of contraceptives use among females choosing termination of pregnancy (TOP) at a provincial clinic in South Africa. This was a quantitative and observational study in the form of a cross-sectional survey. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 61 respondents who had terminated their pregnancies. Almost ninety-two (91.8%) percent of the respondents were single women between 18 and 27 years of age. Their level of education showed that 32% had completed high school, 28% were high school learners, 21.1% were tertiary education level learners and 1.8% had tertiary education. The frequency of sexual activity was mostly once a month (40%), followed by once a week (36.5%). Unemployment was high (36%), making the respondents dependent on government grants. Most of the women were aware of contraceptives methods (88.5%). The majority of the respondents (75.4%) have heard about emergency contraceptives (EC), while only 11.5% had never heard of contraceptives in general. The condom was the most popular method (54.1%), followed by the injection (45.9%). However, although 88.5% and 75.4% have heard of emergency contraceptives, their knowledge of contraceptives in general was very low. Contraceptives were used by 78.6% before termination of their pregnancy (TOP) and the most frequently used method was the injection at 36.6%. The respondents were the initiators of TOP. The researchers recommended that awareness of contraceptives should be promoted, and programmes aimed at changing the behaviour of sexually active females should be designed in order for them to make use of reproductive health services and family planning. Continuous education on sexual activities and contraceptives needs to be given to women visiting a reproductive health clinic. Policymakers should facilitate access to modern contraceptives and promote their effectiveness in all disadvantaged communities, thus addressing the root cause of the termination of unplanned pregnancies.


Curationis ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
VJ Ehlers ◽  
T Maja ◽  
E Sellers ◽  
M Gololo

A financial grant was received from the World Health Organization (WHO) during 1998 to establish whether adolescent mothers (aged 19 or younger at the birth of their babies) utilized contraceptive, emergency contraceptive and termination of pregnancy (TOP) services in the Republic of South Africa (RSA). This report refers to data obtained from 111 questionnaires completed by dolescent mothers between January 2000 and May 2000 in the Gauteng Province; 61 in the Pretoria and 50 in the Garankuwa areas, and excluding the 12 completed questionnaires used foi pretesting the research instrument. The biographic data of the 111 adolescent mothers indicated that the minority were married, employed or earned sufficient income to care for themselves and their babies. However, the minority used contraceptives prior to conception, none used emergency contraceptives or termination of pregnancy (TOP) services. The minority attended ante-natal clinics five or more times during their pregnancies, and a negligible number indicated that they had ever been treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These findings indicate that the 111 adolescent mothers in Gauteng who participated in this survey did not make optimum use of the available reproductive health (RH) care services. Education about sex, pregnancy and contraceptives should commence at the age of 10, but no later than the age of 12 as the majority of respondents did not have the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions about their futures. The accessibility of contraceptive, emergency contraceptive and TOP services for adolescents should be investigated in specific areas and attempts made to enhance such accessi- bility. This might necessitate offering these services over weeker| ds or during evenings when school girls could attend without fear of meeting their mothers, aunts or teachers at these clinics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Jonas ◽  
Moira Kalichman ◽  
Seth Kalichman ◽  
Chelsea Morroni ◽  
Catherine Mathews

Abstract Background Family planning services have been available at no cost in the public health settings of South Africa since 1994, and now include the long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) namely, the contraceptive implant and intra-uterine device (IUD). However, the uptake of LARCs has been declining in the recent years and little is known about the cause of the decline. In many relationships, men may influence their female intimate partner’s contraceptive choices. Thus, men’s involvement in reproductive health decisions and family programming may improve their support for contraceptive use, including the LARC use by their female intimate partners. This study investigated factors affecting men’s support for the use of contraceptive implant by their female intimate partners. Methods A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted among adult men attending a public, primary health clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. Using a structured questionnaire, we measured men’s knowledge, awareness and support of, and attitudes towards use of the contraceptive implant by their female intimate partners. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results The sample included 65 men with a mean age of 31.2 years. Most (76.6%) believed that both men and women should be responsible for family planning. Support for general contraception use by their female intimate partners was prevalent at 80.0%, but only 33.9% reported that they would like their partners to use the implant in the future, while 35.6% were unsure and 30.5% did not support their partner’s use of the implant. Factors significantly associated with men’s support of their partner’s future use of the contraceptive implant included men’s reports that their partner wished to have another child in future, knowledge that the implant is safe for use by women who have not had children, knowledge that the implant can effectively prevent pregnancy for 3 years, and a positive attitude towards the implant’s long-lasting effectiveness. Conclusion Improving men’s knowledge of, and attitudes toward the contraceptive implant might increase their support for their partner’s use of the implant, which in turn might promote uptake of the implant among women. The findings of our study suggest the importance of actively engaging men in reproductive health and family planning programs.


Author(s):  
Siphiwe T. Madlala ◽  
Maureen N. Sibiya ◽  
Thembelihle S.P. Ngxongo

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a socio-economic challenge and a serious public health problem for communities in South Africa. It is, therefore, imperative that effective interventions and programmes be implemented to address this problem. A number of research studies have been conducted on teenage pregnancy in South Africa, but their focus was mainly on teenage girls excluding young men’s involvement in teenage pregnancy.Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of young men between the ages of 18 and 23 years towards teenage pregnancy.Methods: A qualitative, explorative semi-structured interview descriptive design was used toconduct the study. The study was guided by the Johnson’s Behavioral System Model. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 participants with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis of data were performed.Setting: The study was conducted in Free State School of Nursing’s two main campuses.Results: The findings of this study revealed that young men were not involved in reproductive health programmes aiming to prevent teenage pregnancies. Father and son’s poor communication on issues related to sex and teenage pregnancy contributes to unprotected sexual intercourse resulting in teenage pregnancy. Cultural and traditional practices such as the withdrawal method, not using contraceptives, and misleading teachings at the initiation schools contribute to risk factors of teenage pregnancy.Conclusion: There is still a gap in reproductive health that needs to be filled by involving young men to reduce teenage pregnancies. Involving young men in reproductive health programmes could lead to a decreased number of teenage pregnancies. Factors, such as cultural and traditional practices, and father and son sexual health education, need to be taken into consideration to prevent teenage pregnancies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Maureen Nokuthula Sibiya ◽  
Dorinda Borg ◽  
Shanaz Ghuman ◽  
Poovendhree Reddy ◽  
Thembilihle Ngxongo ◽  
...  

The strong desire to experience motherhood, mediated by prevailing social and cultural norms encourage childbearing in society. Contraceptive use and pregnancy among HIV positive women in South Africa is of growing concern as it may be associated with various adverse factors having socio-economic and health impacts. The timeous initiation and optimal utilisation of antenatal care services is imperative to ensure positive pregnancy outcomes and good maternal health; not always possible due to various challenges in developing countries. Motherhood is a component of a women’s identity in cultural societies and important for female social status. Major challenges are gender-based violence and gender inequality as well as physiological factors that place women at risk like cultural and behavioural practices requiring parental consent for access to reproductive and sexual health services tend to discourage girls and women in their pursuit for decision making in reproductive health. This study examines the societal influences on contraceptive usage amongst women attending an antenatal clinic, their contraceptive use and HIV status in the city of Durban, province KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a Primary Health Care (PHC) facility with a total of 283 pregnant women in trimester one visiting the antenatal clinic for the first time who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Results evidenced that almost 70% of the study population are aware of their HIV status prior to conceiving. Contraceptive usage in HIV positive participants was similar 82 (81%) to 97 (75%) in HIV negative participants. The HIV positive participants were aware of the consequences of non-contraceptive use. HIV positive women were not deterred by the desire to use contraception nor conceive (OR: 1.04, CI: 0.61 - 1.79). The study reports a high number of the women are single (>75%), low level of education (90%), unemployed (>70%). HIV status has no impact on contraceptive use and the prevalence of pregnancy among HIV positive women. The number of miscarriages (11%) and early neonatal deaths (6%) reported appeared higher in HIV positive women. Smoking (>50%) and alcohol consumption (>50%) were equally high amongst the pregnant women. Comprehensive programs for planned pregnancies in HIV positive women is necessary for a paradigm shift in the prevailing social and cultural norms worldwide. Reproductive health education extending to embrace the boys and men in the population will increase the importance and acceptance of contraception usage for both HIV positive and negative women in reproductive health care.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tegera Mpamya Frederic ◽  
Kanyange Phoibe ◽  
Joseph Ntaganira

Introduction: In developing countries, especially in Africa, reproductive health is a great concern to many stakeholders as maternal mortality and morbidity are very high compared to that in the developed world. Moreover, reproductive health knowledge and access to quality maternal health services in Africa are poor with significant health consequences. Appropriate reproductive health knowledge and attitude can empower women to access quality family planning services (preventive and curative), which are essential for improvement of women’s reproductive health. Objectives: This research aimed to assess reproductive health knowledge, attitude, and practice on contraceptive use among women attending family planning services at Muhima district hospital.  Methods and Materials: The study was cross-sectional in nature involving 326 randomly selected respondents among women attending family planning services at Muhima district hospital. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) statistics software 17.0 version. Hypothesis: Looking at the aforementioned objective, one may wonder if the health education on contraceptive use given by health staff of Muhima district hospital is well done; we may also wonder about reproductive health beliefs and determinants of contraceptive use among women attending the family planning service; and to what extent women in Muhima district hospital have access to health education on contraceptive use. Trying to find an interim response to this question, we have come to realize that the impact of belief in personal and community health practices is strong; but individual beliefs may not be scientifically true and as such, may make one rightly or wrongly access health care. Results: The majority of the respondents knew when pregnancy can occur and believed that having sex even once with a man may result in pregnancy. 90.0% of respondents had knowledge of benefits of family planning. Consideration about personal health (86.0%) and husband’s approval (74.9%) were major determinants of respondents’ use of contraceptives.  Conclusions: Though respondents were knowledgeable about the benefits of family planning, there is the need for continuous education of women about reproductive health issues and integration of men’s participation in the family planning program to increase utilization of family planning services at Muhima district hospital. 


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