Introduction: Pregnancy can pose a risk to women on tuberculosis (TB) treatment with a threat to the wellbeing of the mother and fetus. Physiological and stress-related effects result when pregnancy occurs during TB illness and while on treatment. Hence, this study aimed to assess contraceptive utilization, unmet need among women on TB treatment, and integration of family planning (FP) services with TB clinics in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A total of 316 women aged 18-49 who were on TB treatment were enrolled. Contraceptive utilization rate, unmet need, and integration of FP and TB services were determined. Logistic regression models were conducted to identify factors associated with contraceptive utilization.
Results: Among women on TB treatment 49 (41.9%) were using contraceptives. Out of contraceptive users, 10 (34.5%) used contraceptives to limit and 18 (62.1%) used to space. Only parity had a significant association with contraceptive utilization. Women who had 1-3 children were less likely to use contraception than those who had ≥4 children. Among women who were married or sexually active, 12 (18.9%) had an unmet need. Of the study participants, 144 (45.6%) had been informed about FP services at the TB clinics.
Conclusion: The contraceptive utilization rate in the current study (41.9%) is slightly higher than the national prevalence (36.2%) yet it is still low. Furthermore, the unmet need (18.9%) was lower than the national report for the general population (22%). Educating women about the risk of getting pregnant while visiting the health facility for TB medication will help to improve their chances of better recovery and avoid medication side effects on the fetus. TB guidelines can consider providing FP counseling when initiating treatment to provide women with the power of information to make deliberate decisions.
Purpose: Etonogestrel subdermal implants are a commonly used contraceptive device placed in the medial upper arm. Plastic and orthopedic surgeons may be consulted for difficult implant removals. We performed a case-control study comparing patients undergoing surgical and uncomplicated in-office removal at our institution.
Patients and methods: We identified patients who underwent operative removal of implantable contraceptive devices by plastic or orthopedic surgeons at our institution from January 2014 to October 2019. Patients who underwent uncomplicated office removal during the same time were compared. Demographic and surgical variables were collected, and descriptive statistics were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed with surgical versus outpatient removal as the outcome of interest.
Results: A total of 669 patients undergoing etonogestrel subdermal implant removals were identified during the five-year study period, of which thirteen patients required surgical removal (1.9%) and 326 were selected as uncomplicated removal comparisons. There were no significant differences in median (IQR) body mass index (BMI) (31.1 [28.2, 35.2] versus 29.3 [24.0, 35.1], p = 0.19), median (IQR) weight gain since device placement (5 [-0.6, 14.7] kilograms versus 1.6 [-1.2, 5.8] kilograms, p = 0.15), or length of time since device insertion (2.3 [0.8, 2.8] years versus 1.0 [0.4, 2.2] years, p = 0.17). Of those who needed surgical removal, the most common indication for implant removal was device expiration (n = 5, 38.5%). Devices placed by OBGYN attendings were less likely to require surgical removal (p = 0.02). Family medicine attendings were more likely to refer patients for surgical removal (p = 0.02). No significant findings were detected on univariate or multivariate regression. Among surgical removals, radiography was the most frequently used imaging modality. Implants were most frequently subdermal (n = 11, 84.6%) though intramuscular placement was also identified (n = 2, 15.4%). Only one patient had residual paresthesia along the length of the incision. No other complications were identified.
Conclusion: We did not identify risk factors associated with the difficult removal of etonogestrel subdermal implants. Practitioners should consult upper extremity surgeons if they encounter difficult removals.
There are multi-level barriers that impact uptake of postpartum contraception and result in disparities, including clinical barriers such as provider bias. Fortunately, clinicians have direct control over their contraceptive counseling practices, and thus reducing structural barriers is actionable through high quality contraceptive counseling that equips patients with the knowledge and guidance they need to fulfill their reproductive desires. Yet, many commonly employed contraceptive counseling strategies, like One Key Question and WHO tiered contraceptive counseling, are not patient-driven, do not account for the important nuances of contraceptive choices, and are not focused specifically on the postpartum period. Given the history of eugenics and reproductive coercion in the US, supporting patient through their contraceptive decision-making process is especially vital. Additionally, contraceptive preferences vary based on patient-level factors and fluctuate over time and counseling should account for such differences. Shared contraceptive decision-making occurs when patients provide input on their values, desires, and preferences and clinicians share medical knowledge and evidence-based information without judgement. This approach is considered the most ethically sound form of counseling, as it maximizes patient autonomy. Shared decision-making also has clinical benefits, including increased patient satisfaction. In sum, shared contraceptive decision-making should be universally adopted to promote ethical, high-quality care and reproductive autonomy.
Background: Spousal family planning communication plays an important role in making better reproductive health decisions and in increasing the use of modern contraceptive methods. The objective of the current study is to examine the association of spousal family planning communication in its broader context with current modern contraceptive use among couples.
Methods: A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted in twelve kebeles of Harar Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System. A total of 2700 currently married couples of whose wives were in the reproductive age participated in the study. The selection of the study participants was made using simple random sampling and data were collected using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire and analyzed using Stata version 12.
Results: The level of current modern contraceptive use was 57.1% (95% CI: 0.53, 3.39). Effective spousal family planning communication was significantly associated with current modern contraceptive use even after controlling for socio-economic and demographic variables. Socio-economic and demographic variables such as religion of couples, number of couples' living children, household monthly income, couples' family planning approval and women's counseling about family planning by health workers were significantly associated with current modern contraceptive use.
Conclusion: Policies and programs aimed at increasing contraceptive prevalence should properly address the importance of spousal communication about family planning and integrate men into family planning programs to facilitate and enhance couples communication skills.
Background: Male involvement in family planning use particularly in long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods (LAPCM) is a key strategy to reduce fertility, and promote maternal and child health. Despite this, little is known about male involvement in LAPCM use of their partners in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess male involvement in long-acting and permanent contraceptive method use in west Badewacho district, Southern Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 564 participants from April 1 to 30/2019. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select eligible participants. A pre-tested, structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to identify associated factors. The adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was estimated to show the direction and strength of the association. Variables with p<0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: About 108 (19.9%, 95% CI: (16.8, 23.2)) participants were involved in LAPCM use. Being urban dweller [AOR=3.13; 95% CI: (1.58, 6.19)], discussion with wives about LAPCM [AOR=2.81; 95% CI: (1.64, 4.8)], having good knowledge about LAPCM [AOR=2.55; 95% CI: (1.42, 4.57)], and positive attitude towards LAPCM [AOR=2.16; 95% CI: (1.16, 4.02)] were significantly associated factors.
Conclusion: Overall, the male involvement in LAPCM use was low. Enhancing male involvement in family planning use through creating community awareness, encouraging inter-spousal communication to enhance decision making, and increasing positive attitude towards LAPCM in the community is crucial to decrease the problem.
Background: Reproductive health issues are an inclusive concern for both men and women. In order to improve maternal health, strengthening male participation in family planning is an important public health initiative. Yet, men are still the main decision-makers in the family in Ethiopia, especially in the rural community. There is little concrete evidence of the extent of male participation in family planning and its barriers in rural settings.
Purpose: To assess the magnitude of male involvement in family planning utilization and its associated factors in the rural community of northern Ethiopia.
Materials and methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was carried out on 620 currently married men. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the participants of the study. Data were collected using interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify variables associated with male participation in family planning.
Results: In this study, only 12.5% of males were directly involved in the use of family planning using a male contraceptive method, and about 60.0% of males were involved in family planning through spousal communication and approval. Being educated [AOR=1.64; 95% CI: (1.12-2.62)], having an educated partner [AOR= 1.77; 95% CI: (1.17-2.94)], having a positive attitude towards family planning [AOR=2.27; 95% CI: (1.53-3.36)], discussing with wife [AOR= 2.51; 95% CI: (1.69-3.72)] and having adequate knowledge about family planning [AOR=1.92; 95% CI: (1.28-2.87)] were positively associated with male involvement in family planning utilization whereas having more than three children [AOR=0.32; 95% CI: (0.15-0.70)] was negatively associated with male involvement in family planning utilization.
Conclusion: In general, as compared to the national recommendation, the level of male participation in family planning utilisation was low. In order to improve male participation in family planning, improving male knowledge and attitudes towards family planning is essential.
Introduction: In Uganda, the proportion of women having another live birth before age 20 years (repeat adolescent birth) has not declined in 30 years. More women want to delay the next birth. We determined the prevalence and factors associated with postpartum contraceptive use among teenage mothers in Mbale City.
Patients and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in all the six government-supported health facilities within Mbale City. Over a period of 3 months, 511 teenage mothers in the postpartum period were consecutively enrolled by midwives/nurses. Data were collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. We used logistic regression in STATA version 14, to determine the association between various sociodemographic characteristics and utilization of contraception. We set the level of significance at 5% and report odds ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Most of the respondents - 314/511 [61.5%, 95% CI= 57.1-65.6%] - were using contraceptives. More than three-fourth (238/314) of the respondents opted for short-term methods of contraception. In the adjusted analyses, intention to resume school [AOR 1.79 (1.16-2.74)], and utilization of maternal Child Heath services such as postnatal care services [AOR 0.40 (0.25-0.63)] were significantly associated with utilisation of postpartum contraception.
Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of postpartum contraceptives use - over 6 in 10 women - although they were using mainly short-term methods. Those with intentions of resuming schooling and utilised postnatal care services were most likely to use contraceptives. This is encouraging and calls for inquiry into why their use is higher than the national averages. Further, the results call for renewed efforts to maintain adolescent mothers in school.