Evaluation of emergency contraception use among women receiving gynecological treatment in the Brazilian Amazon

Autores

  • Paulo Sérgio Barbalho Priante Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde Universidade Federal do Pará Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  • Jaqueline Neves Lubianca Departamento de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  • Christine Cioba Departamento de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  • Helena von Eye Corleta Departamento de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  • Edison Capp

Palavras-chave:

Emergency contraception, contraception, health services, unintended pregnancy

Resumo

Introduction: The use of a postcoital hormonal contraception regimen has been described and is known as emergency contraception (EC) or “the morning-after pill”. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use and level of knowledge about emergency oral contraception (EC) among women attending the gynecology outpatient clinic of the Hospital Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia of the State ofPará, the second largest state in the Brazilian Amazon.

Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with 316 sexually active women, aged 18 to 50 years, who attended the gynecology outpatient clinic. Participants were included based on spontaneous demand between June and July 2012. Patients answered a questionnaire with 29 questions, including: age in years, educational attainment, knowledge about EC, and previous use of the method. The primary outcome was knowledge on EC use.

Results: Participants' mean age was 31.84 years (SD ± 8.00). As for their educational level, 46.84% of them had completed high school, and only 8.55% had higher education. Most of the women obtained information about EC through friends (48.61%, n = 152), and only 7.30% from their doctors. Although most participants (83.54%) reported to be aware of the method, only 0.63% reported that EC could be used up to 5 days after unprotected intercourse; 57.59% did not know how to use it; and 76.58% (n = 242) had never used the method.

Conclusion: The women in our study seem to have a high level of knowledge and prevalence of use of emergency contraception, although few of them knew about the time limit for its use. They should receive more information about emergency contraception.

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Publicado

2014-06-03

Como Citar

1.
Priante PSB, Lubianca JN, Cioba C, Corleta H von E, Capp E. Evaluation of emergency contraception use among women receiving gynecological treatment in the Brazilian Amazon. Clin Biomed Res [Internet]. 3º de junho de 2014 [citado 28º de março de 2024];34(2). Disponível em: https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/hcpa/article/view/45181