An insight into low contraceptive prevalence in Malaysia and its probable consequences

Abstract

The Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in Malaysia for all methods is 55% and for modern methods is 35%. These figures are very low compared to neighbour countries. This analysis is to find the probable reasons and suggest remedies for the very low contraceptive use and minimize the adverse consequences. This is a retrospective analysis based on the reports of National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) and Ministry of Health Malaysia from 1974 to 2012. There is no difference in the use of contraception between the different ethnic groups. The unmet contraceptive demand is 25%. In a study of teenagers between the ages of 18-21, around 20% had sex with new partners without using any contraceptive methods. Of the 510462 babies born in the year 2010, there were 52982 out of wedlock pregnancies. These mothers had not used any form of contraceptives. The contraceptive use in Malaysia had stagnated for 25 years. Approximately 60% of these mothers had not used any form of contraception. Lack of contraceptive awareness; myths and non-availability are possibly the major causes for less use of contraceptives. Family planning services must be free and freely available in urban as well as rural areas.

Mate preference priorities in the East and West: A cross‐cultural test of the mate preference priority model

“…The fact that Western women showed a stronger preference than all other sub‐groups for their partner to want children also requires further exploration. A possible source of this pattern involves culture differences in family planning and contraceptive use (Najimudeen & Sachchithanantham, ; Singh et al, ). However, it is also worth considering if this effect was the result of differences in age and relationship status between samples (see Limitations ), despite our efforts to statistically control for them.…”

“…Thus, it is hard to imagine a selection pressure to prioritize such a trait, unless used as an indirect signal of partner commitment and fidelity. Nonetheless, as contraception use is much more widespread in Western cultures (e.g., Monstad, Propper, & Salvanes, ; Rowe et al, ) than Eastern ones (e.g., Najimudeen & Sachchithanantham, ; Singh, Fong, & Loh, ), an interest in producing offspring may be a useful family planning cue in the West. Including these types of traits will allow us to observe how culturally variable preferences influence the prioritization of the more reproductively relevant ones.…”

Knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding copper intrauterine contraceptive devices among doctors in Malaysia

“…Globally, about 12% of married or in-union women are estimated to have an unmet need for family planning 1. The unmet need was reported to be 22% in developing countries,1 but in Malaysia unmet need was reported to be as high as 25% 2. When use of contraception is low, unintended pregnancy rates are shown to be high, increasing the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality 3…”

Medical students' reflection on the family planning services at primary health clinics in Malaysia

“…[ 2 ] Since thereafter, the intensified strategies were used to improve the public awareness and utilization by collaborating Ministry of Health (MOH) and nongovernment organizations. [ 3 ] The scope of family planning goes beyond the contraception, including sex education, marriage-counseling, advice on sterility, birth control, providing adoption services, etc. [ 4 ] Although there was an improvement of contraception prevalence rate of all methods from 32% in 2004 to 41.7% in 2015, it is still low compared to the other Asian countries.…”