The misinformation about contraceptive methods: A qualitative
study in Istanbul
S. Hidiroglu, M. Solakoglu Ucar, A. Topuzoglu, P. Ay, O.O.
Kose, D. Save
Marmara University Medical Faculty Department of Public Health,
Istanbul, Turkey
Objective The objective of this qualitative study was to asses
the knowledge and beliefs of women about the advantages and the disadvantages of
contraceptive methods.
Design and method Six focus group discussions were
conducted in suburban neighborhood of Umraniye, Istanbul. The study group was
composed of married women with a low educational background who had migrated to
Istanbul from the rural parts of the country. A semi-structured interview guide
was developed and used.
Results The women were able to state the disadvantages
most effectively only for the methods of they were mostly familiar with. There
was a lot of misinformation which had originated from the experiences of other
women in their social environment. Some of this misinformation was originated
from the rumors and women were not absolutely sure of its correctness. “I
heard that an IUD was attached to the baby, it (IUD) was found somewhere on the
baby, I was scared, I had an ultrasound, they said that it (my IUD) was in
place, still I was scared so I wanted it to be taken out”
Some women
believed that after using contraceptive methods for some time, the possibility
for a new pregnancy would decrease. This was associated with the opinion that
“the ovaries would get lazy while using a contraceptive method”.
One
of the women stated the disadvantages of the contraceptives as:”Hair grow,
weight gain, the risk of getting pregnant is high with OCs….If you forget the
pill, then the risk (of getting pregnant) is high. I do not know because I do
not use them. Spiral (IUD) makes infections, so we are anxious, I was afraid for
these reasons”Although the women usually were not aware of the protective
effects of contraceptives they identified the protective effect of condom
against sexually transmitted diseases.”That preservative, God forbid,
protects against HIV, hepatitis B, from the women’s diseases”
Conclusion
There was also a lot of misinformation about the disadvantages for nearly all
the methods. Conversely the advantages of the methods were not recognized except
for condom use. Although counseling services are provided for a considerable
period of time, the women lacked adequate knowledge concerning the contraceptive
methods. Peer education might be the appropriate method to improve contraceptive
knowledge.