Patterns of contraceptive use among urban women in Taiwan

Abstract

Patterns of contraceptive use among married urban women in Taiwan were investigated. A convenience sample of 150 women attending health clinics for reasons other than contraceptive care were interviewed about their contraceptive use. The most prevalent contraceptive method used by these women was the intrauterine device, followed by the condom and birth-control pills. Participants had used only one or two contraceptive methods throughout their contraceptive careers, and many stated they were satisfied with their current method. Many participants were able to name the methods of birth control promoted by the Taiwan family-planning promotion program. Knowledge of alternative methods did not significantly relate to current method in use or to desire to change methods.

Attitudes of married individuals towards oral contraceptives: a qualitative study in Istanbul, Turkey

“…7,8 For these reasons OCs are not commonly used by women in developing countries who still depend upon traditional methods of contraception. 9,10 A total of 37.7% of couples in Turkey use modern contraceptives and a further 25.5% use traditional methods. Withdrawal accounts for 95.8% of traditional methods.…”

Fertility Management in Taiwanese and African-American Women

“…Rather than using abortion to space pregnancies or prevent unwanted births before children are planned, as is more common in Western countries (Grady, Hayward, & Yagi, 1986), women in Taiwan may be more likely to use abortion when they have the number of children they want. An increased willingness to use abortion has been related to greater age when birth control was first used and longer use of birth control, suggesting that women may begin to use birth control when their families are complete and that women who began to use birth control when older will use abortion to avoid having more children (Lethbridge & Wang, 1991).…”

“…In a study of 159 Taipei women's preferences for the gender of their children and their contraceptive use, women predominantly reported that they preferred children of both genders, but their choice and use of contraception suggested that it was influenced by the number of boys they had (Wang & Lethbridge, 1991). To the question, "What sex would you prefer your children to be?," 5% answered girls, 14% answered boys, and 78% answered either.…”

Why did the Japanese Government take so long to approve the intrauterine contraceptive device?

“…Since its inception in the 1960s, the modern form of the intrauterine device (IUD) has been one of the most commonly used contraceptives in the world ( d’Arcangues, 2007 , United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, 2011 ), particularly in East Asia where the method has been consistently popular ( d’Arcangues, 2007 , Donaldson, 1990 , Lethbridge and Wang, 1991 ). However, use of the IUD in Japan remained low for most of the post-war period ( Tama, 2016: 128 ), and even today, the IUD is less popular than the contraceptive pill, another method generally avoided ( Nakamura and Kitamura, n.d , Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2011 ).…”