Contraceptive practices and intentions of Ukrainian women.

OBJECTIVES

This study was undertaken to investigate contraceptive practices and factors behind contraceptive preferences among Ukrainian women attending for abortion or gynecological health check-up.

METHODS

Women attending for abortion (n = 919) and healthy non-pregnant women (n = 297) were studied by an anonymous 192-item self-questionnaire in a hospital-based unmatched case-control design.

RESULTS

The average number of abortions per woman rose with age to 4.6 in the abortion group and 2.4 abortions in the non-pregnant group. In the abortion and non-pregnant groups, no contraceptive use during the past year was reported by 27% and 20% and at the time of conception or during the previous month, by 61% and 51%, respectively. Nevertheless, no intention to use contraception in the future was reported by 15% and 8% of women, respectively. A history of previous childbirth (odds ratio (OR) = 1.8), at least two induced abortions (OR = 1.7) and sexual education obtained from literature (OR = 1.8) were associated with preference to use modern contraceptives. Intention to use no contraception in the future was associated with giving no answer about acceptance of abortion as a birth control method (OR = 5.4), uncertainty whether to use abortion or an intrauterine device in a situation of choice (OR = 1.8), low income (OR = 1.9) and no answer about housing situation (OR = 3.9). Lack of experience with contraception reduced the intention to use any method in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

Better reproductive education/information and economic incentives could contribute to a change from abortion to use of contraception.