Use and Acceptability of Birth Spacing Contraceptive Among Multiparae in Bangladesh

Background: Contraception is one of the critical components of reproductive health, enabling women to control their fertility according to their desires and circumstances. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and acceptability of contraceptives among sexually active multiparous women for birth spacing. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study among married women aged 15-40 years having at least one child from January to June 2013 in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ICMH (Institute of Child and Mother Health), Matuail, Dhaka. Findings: A total of 433 women participated in this study. A majority of the respondents were in the mid-thirty (73.9%) and housewives (94.7%). Almost half (49.0%) of the respondents had primary education. Surprisingly, close to half of the respondents married before 18 years (42.7%). Almost two-thirds (64.4%) of the respondents received oral contraceptive pills previously, followed by condoms (17.1%) and injectable contraception (14.5%). More than half (51.6%) of the participants were motivated by health workers to use a contraceptive method. In terms of reasons for using the family planning methods, convenience to use (38.1%), being safe (31.9%), and accessibility (23.1%) were the most common reasons. Whereas side effects (49.9%), shifting to other forms (43.9%), and wanting more children (6.2%) were the most common reason for changing family planning methods. The respondents mostly used the oral pill at any education level. However, injectable contraception was higher within higher education levels, and IUD was higher within the illiterate group.