Abstract

Background: Family planning has obvious health benefits by preventing unintended pregnancies, which results in a subsequent decrease in maternal morbidity and mortality, allowing the spacing of pregnancies, delaying pregnancies in young girls who are at an increased risk of health problems from early childbearing, and preventing pregnancies among older women who also face increased risks. Despite these benefits, there are reports of low usage among reproductive-age women in most developing countries.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 400 married women of the reproductive age group (15-49) years, who attended five primary healthcare centres in Basra city during the period of seven months, from 1st May 2022 to 1st November 2022. This study aimed to identify the factors that influence the choice and use of contraceptive methods among women of reproductive age in Basra City, Iraq.
Results and conclusions: in the results 84.3% of participating women currently use contraceptive methods. The modern methods were used by 71.7% of women, and the most utilized methods were oral pills followed by injectables. while the traditional methods were used by 28.3% and withdrawal was the preferred one among them. Also, the factors that influence the utilization include: women’s age, education of both women and their husbands, age of marriage of husband, gravity, parity, the desire for more children and the source of women’s information.