Counseling About Contraception Among Repeated Aborters in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

We conducted qualitative interviews with 30 repeated abortion clients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Only 5 women were practicing contraception regularly. A common reason for the nonusage of contraceptives was adverse health effects. Half of women were not counseled during the previous abortions, and contraceptives were given without explanation. Women pointed out that the current service was not enough or in-depth and was not meeting their needs. The type of counseling they wanted was a face-to-face discussion with a physician at a hospital using leaflets and pictures. Concerted efforts are needed to improve the quality of contraceptive counseling and to listen to women's voices.

Guiding change: provider voices in youth pre-abortion counselling in urban Vietnam

“…Many unmarried couples have consequently had limited access to services providing ongoing contraceptive provision, advice and monitoring. Moreover, a study by Xinh et al (2004) found that Vietnamese women were unsatisfied with the tertiary-level family planning services provided at the time of abortion. Counselling sessions were unfriendly and did not meet women's needs.…”

“…2 A significant proportion of youth abortions are repeat abortions, which has been a long-standing public health issue. About half of all abortion-seeking women and about one-quarter of unmarried abortion-seeking women have had at least one prior abortion (Belanger and Khuat 1998;Xinh et al 2004). While the total abortion rate fell from 2.5 per woman per lifetime in 1996 to 0.6 in 2002 (Sedgh et al 2007), current trends are unclear given incomplete statistics.…”

“…Consequently, unmarried females typically avoid accessing, learning about and discussing sexual and reproductive health matters (Ho Chi Minh Youth Union, RHIYA partners, and CARE International in Vietnam 2004;Nguyen, Liamputtong, and Murphy 2006). This is despite the widespread availability of contraceptive methods and their low cost or free provision at public hospitals and health centres (Xinh et al 2004).…”

“…Counselling sessions were unfriendly and did not meet women's needs. Half the women had not been counselled during previous abortions, contraceptives were given without explanation and only five out of the thirty women with a history of abortion were practising contraception prior to their repeated unwanted pregnancy (Xinh et al 2004). These and similar factors have contributed to unwanted pregnancies and abortions in Vietnam.…”

“…Optimal pre-abortion counselling comprises making available and accessible, onsite or by referral, a range of effective contraceptive methods; complete and accurate information; and sensitive and supportive counselling to prevent additional unwanted pregnancies and STI/HIV transmission (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health and UNFPA 2006; Xinh et al 2004). This counselling also gives service providers the opportunity to dispel negative attitudes and false beliefs regarding sex and contraception (Bender and Geirsson 2004).…”