Abstract
The use of contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies is not widely accepted in developing countries due to social and cultural factors, lack of knowledge, and limited access to contraceptive services. This results in a relatively high incidence of repeat abortions in women with live births. The objective of this study is to understand the awareness of contraceptive use in women with live births women with previous live births who currently underwent an abortion (n = 272) and women who had a recent live birth (n = 323) voluntarily participated in this survey. Among women with previous live births, 22% did not use contraceptives in the past, and 41% well understood the importance of contraceptive use. There were no differences in educational levels, parity, and age at abortion between women who used and did not use contraceptives. However, after the current abortion, a significant increase in women who intend to use contraceptives in the future, from 78 to 93%, was observed. A significant reduction in women who do not intend to use contraceptives from 22 to 7.4% was also observed. 59% of women primarily seek knowledge of contraception from healthcare professionals. Among women with a recent live birth, 92% indicated their awareness of contraceptive use as they do not have a plan for the subsequent pregnancy. More than 91% of women discussed contraceptive use with partners. Our survey highlights the importance of education and promotion of the use of contraceptives in developing countries to prevent unintended pregnancy.