THE uptake of immediate postpartum family planning contraceptives by mothers at the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital (JRRH) is worryingly low, causing concern among health care givers.
JRRH is the biggest government hospital in eastern region with a catchment area going beyond Busog, including Buikwe, Buvuma and Kayunga districts.
Records available show that in Uganda, modern contraceptive uptake is at 35%, leading to unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, which may increase morbidity and mortality among children and mothers.
According to Irene Mondo, the midwife officer in charge of the Family Planning Clinic at JRRH, the low uptake is a result of numerous factors, including myths and misconceptions surrounding modern family planning contraceptives.
“…the uptake is very low because of many myths, misconceptions, cultural and religious beliefs, lack of accurate and proper information and fear of side effects push away most of the mothers…”Madam Mondo expresses concerns.
Madam Irene Mondo, who has been in service for more than 30 years, says that the number of high deliveries at the hospital is not commensurate with mothers who consent to the immediate postpartum family planning contraceptives
Busoga is one of the regions with the highest fertility rate in the country, and the uptake of immediate postpartum family planning contraceptives is one of the measures aimed at reducing the number of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies.
The region also has a high teenage pregnancy rate of 25% higher than the national average of 24%, and subsequently, the regional fertility rate is higher than the national average at 6.9 children per woman.
Fertility Rate (total births per woman0 in Uganda was reported at 4.585% in 2021,according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources.
Total Fertility Rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her child bearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specific year.
Family Planning Methods Most Preferred:
According to Irene Mondo, most women who accept family planning methods prefer Depo-Provera, implants, and Intrauterine Devices (IUDs).
IUDs are small contraceptive devices that are inserted into the uterus or womb to prevent pregnancy. The two types available are the copper IUD and the hormonal IUD sold as Mirena or Kyleena.
Others opt for the birth control pill known as the Pill, a daily pill that contains hormones to change the way the body works and prevent pregnancy.
The hormones are chemical substances that control the functioning of the body’s organs, and in this context, the ovaries and the uterus. Most men also fear swallowing the pill on a daily basis, saying it causes inconveniences.
Various Reproductive Health websites and journals describe Depo-Provera as a well-known brand name for medroxyprogresterone acetate, a contraceptive injection that contains the hormone progestin.
It’s given as an injection, which is why it’s sometimes called the jab, and its effects (in stopping pregnancy) stay on for three months.
Most Unpopular Family Planning Methods:
Irene Mondo names vasectomy, an operation that prevents sperm from travelling from the testicles to the penis .It’s done by cutting the tubes that allow sperm to leave the testicles as one very unpopular method.
This process (a simple surgery done by a trained doctor) on men is also known as sterilization, or ‘The Snip’. Experts say Vasectomy is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
Most men mistakenly think the method can reduce sexual prowess, which can make them become the focus of scorn and ridicule by fellow men and women.
The other method disliked by many is Tubal Ligation (TL), which is considered a permanent birth control about 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.
Experts advise that if you are sure you don’t want to be pregnant or to be pregnant ever again; getting your tubes tied is a safe and convenient form of contraception.
They say this method allows you (ladies) to enjoy sex without worrying about pregnancy.
Irene Mondo, in an interview with Watchdog Uganda, names Vasectomy and Tubal Ligation as the least preferred methods with figures from records at JRRH showing that only two people have taken the two methods in 24 months.
Contraceptive uptake at 6 weeks postpartum is encouraged, but it is not very effective since there is low attendance during this visit. Some people think modern family planning methods generally are ploys by the Western world (where each family has only one or two children) to depopulate Africa.
Some religious faith bodies and cultural beliefs also teach and preach against these methods as ungodly and unethical because human beings are desperately trying to go against the original will of God.
Some women also become sexually active by the visit at 6 weeks postpartum leading to early conception.
Contraceptive use within Africa is low, although 214 million women who are not using contraception to avoid pregnancy.
According to Moses Kakooza, a biostatistician attached to JRRH, the maternal mortality ratio stood at 755.5 per 100,000 live births, and the infant mortality rate was 93.4% live births in the calendar year 2023.
Biostatisticians collect and analyze data for biology and public health purposes using mathematics and statistics. They are critical to advancing groundbreaking research from medicine to agriculture to public health.
A highly trained and educated biostatistician can analyze data and determine factors that impact the health and overall well-being of humans, animals, and ecology.
Family Planning and Morbidly and Mortality:
According to Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), formerly Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU), the maternal mortality rate in Uganda is high, in part because health risks increase as women have more pregnancies.
Contraceptives reduce the risk of maternal injury and death by lowering the number of unplanned pregnancies, which account for 43% of all pregnancies in Uganda. Experts say couples can also determine the appropriate family size for their situation by using family planning.
What You Need To Know:
There are a number of departments like Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Out Patient Department (OPD), and Community Health.
The Surgery department had general surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ear, nose, throat (ENT), urology, dental, physiotherapy, Theatre, Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Family Planning, Antenatal Care, Postnatal and maternal Child Health fall under the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology while Community Health, General Clinics, Specialised Clinics, Medical Social Work ,Palliative Care, Research and Pharmacy are under OPD and Community Health department.
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