Family planning in Serbia--the perspective of female students from the University of Belgrade.

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether current knowledge and attitudes of future female doctors, pharmacists, politicians, journalists and social workers indicate that positive changes may take place in family planning in Serbia.

METHODS

A total of 504 female students from the University of Belgrade completed a questionnaire related to the physiology of reproduction, contraception, childbearing, and extended cycles of combined oral contraceptive (COC) use.

RESULTS

Eighty percent of the study population knew the fertile period in the menstrual cycle. The students had positive opinions about COCs in 52% of the cases, and negative opinions in 48%. More than 80% of respondents were aware of the possibility of suppressing uterine bleeding by COC use, but only 22% would utilise COCs in that manner. Seventy-nine percent considered 25-29 years as the optimal age span for starting childbearing. Nearly all expressed the desire to have children later, with 2.56 being the average number of children wanted.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that professionals who, in the future, will provide education and counselling in the field of contraception, or will be involved in developing a national family planning framework in Serbia, are not likely to go about much differently from those presently active.