Contraceptive behavior in women in the Republic of Kalmykia

Abstract

Contraception is the important component of family planning. It plays the important role in fighting with abortion and preserving the reproductive health of women. The specially designed anonymous survey was performed in 375 women living in the Republic of Kalmykia in the age from 16 till 45 years old. The average age of beginning of sexual life was estimated as 18,6 ± 0,1 years at the examined group. The average age decreased from 19,3 ± 0,3 to 17,0 ± 0,2 during the last 10 years. Almost the half of respondent (45,9 %) started the sexual life before the marriage. Kalmyk women started the sexual life later than Russian and entered the premarital relationship rarely. 70,2 % of sexually active women protected from pregnancy: 74,2 % used barrier methods of contraception, 13,5 % - intrauterine device, 12,9 % - oral hormone contraception, 11,1% - rejected sexual intercourse. Women below 30 and Kalmyk women used the barrier methods of contraception most often. Women older than 30 years used intrauterine device most often, oral hormone contraception was in use among cities inhabitants and among Russian women. The self-appraisal of knowledge on contraception questions showed that women estimate their erudition as 3,98 ± 0,04 on average. One quarter (23,2 %) of women consider themselves insufficiently or poorly informed dealing with this question. Women in the age below 20 and inhabitants of countryside are less informed. The information was received from the formal source by 32,5 % of women (at school - 27,7 %, from healthcare workers - 4,8 %). The majority of women (50,8 %) received the information from the informal source: 17,9 % - mother and other relatives, 12,8 % - mass media, 4,3 % - printed matter. The role of school in the informing young people dealing with this question decreased during the last few years. The role of healthcare workers in the informing young people is very low.