Abstract

Contraception has become an important and extensively used tool for planning of family size among couples, even in developing countries where there is a high risk of undesired pregnancy and childbirth. Although long-term contraception is usually regarded as safe, occasional side effects do arise and may not be known by women concerned in some settings. This study investigated the motivations, knowledge, and occurrence of adverse health outcomes of long-term contraception among women in the Buea Health District.

A descriptive cross-sectional study including 230 women who had been on contraceptives for at least 5 years in 9 selected health facilities in the Buea Health District was carried out between January and June 2022. Open and closed-ended questionnaires were used to collect data, that were analysed using descriptive statistics.

Out of 230 individuals who participated in the study, 117 (50.9%) were married, 99 (43%) had at least a university degree, and 106 were aged between 31 and 40. The proportion these women who adequately knew side effects of long-term contraceptive use was 81.7%. Common motivations given for the use of long-term contraceptives included birth control (65.5%), academic aspirations (37.4%), desire for the partner (34.8%). Regarding the types of contraceptives, 61% participants used implants, 56.4% used IUDs and 53.4% used injectable. One hundred and thirty-two (57.4%) participants reported having experienced a negative outcome following use of long-term contraceptives. Women with adequate knowledge on negative outcomes were 1.6 times more likely to experience the negative outcome. Further, the age group 21-30 was nearly four times more likely than the older (41-50) to have had a poor outcome from long-term contraceptive use.

A great proportion of women attending the health facility of the Buea Health District had adequate knowledge of the outcomes of long-term contraceptive use.

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