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Postpartum and post-abortion contraceptive use among unmarried young women in Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2020

D. Yaw Atiglo Open the ORCID record for D. Yaw Atiglo [Opens in a new window]  and
Adriana A. E. Biney Open the ORCID record for Adriana A. E. Biney [Opens in a new window]
D. Yaw Atiglo*
Affiliation:
Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana
Adriana A. E. Biney
Affiliation:
Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana
*
*Corresponding author. Email: dyatiglo@rips-ug.edu.gh
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Abstract

Pregnancy outcomes impact subsequent contraceptive behaviour. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between previous pregnancy outcomes and subsequent contraceptive behaviours among unmarried young women intending to delay childbearing. Using data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, among 1118 sexually experienced, fecund and non-pregnant unmarried women aged 15–24 years, the study assessed how childbirth and abortion are related to sexual abstinence and use of modern contraception. While about 70% of unmarried young women were nulligravid, approximately 11% had had an abortion and 18.2% were postpartum. The majority of respondents were sexually abstinent while 21% and 27% were using and not using contraception, respectively. Postpartum women were more likely than nulligravid and post-abortion women to use contraceptives. Post-abortion women were least likely to be sexually abstinent. Number of years since the respondent’s sexual debut was positively associated with the likelihood of using modern contraception, particularly among postpartum women, and negatively associated with sexual abstinence among those who had aborted. The findings show that prior pregnancy outcomes have significant implications for secondary abstinence and contraceptive use among unmarried young women in Ghana. Post-abortion women are more likely than postpartum women to be sexually active but less likely to use contraceptives. Efforts must be strengthened towards increasing access to modern contraceptives for young women who present for abortion in Ghana.

Keywords

Post-abortion contraceptionSexual abstinenceYoung adults
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 53 , Issue 3 , May 2021 , pp. 459 - 470
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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