A new study that was conducted by the Population Service International (PSI) to ascertain the profiles of women who choose to use the hormonal Intrauterine Device (IUD) method of contraception have revealed that most users continued using the method due to high levels of satisfaction.
By Michael Gwarisa
The study is titled Introducing the hormonal Intrauterine Device in Madagascar, Nigeria, and Zambia: results from a pilot study. The study was conducted by Kendal Danna, the PSI Sexual and Reproductive Health Technical Advisor together with her partners where a longitudinal study of hormonal IUD acceptors was conducted across three countries namely Madagascar, Nigeria, and Zambia where the hormonal IUD had been introduced in a pilot setting within the of a broad mix of available methods.
During the study women were interviewed at baseline immediately following their voluntary hormonal IUD insertion, and again 3 and 12 months following provision of the method. A descriptive analysis of user characteristics and satisfaction with the method was conducted on an analytic sample of women who completed baseline, 3-month, and 12-month follow-up questionnaires. Kaplan–Meier time-to-event models were used to estimate the cumulative probability of method continuation rates up to 12 months post-insertion.
Each country had a unique demographic profile of hormonal IUD users with different method-use histories. Across all three countries, women reported high rates of satisfaction with the hormonal IUD (67–100%) and high rates of continuation at the 12-month mark (82–90%). Rates of satisfaction and continuation among hormonal IUD users in the study suggest that expanding method choice with the hormonal IUD would provide a highly effective, long-acting method desirable to many different population segments, including those with high unmet need,” reads the study.
The hormonal Intrauterine Device (IUD) is a highly effective contraceptive option growing in popularity and availability in many countries. The hormonal IUD has been shown to have high rates of satisfaction and continuation among users in high-income countries.
“Conclusions Rates of satisfaction and continuation among hormonal IUD users in the study suggest that expanding method choice with the hormonal IUD would provide a highly effective, long-acting method desirable to many different population segments, including those with high unmet need.”
From 2017 to 2020, Population Services International (PSI) introduced the hormonal IUD in three countries through two projects funded by USAID. Through the Expanding Effective Contraceptive Options (EECO) project led by WCG Cares (WCG), PSI added the hormonal IUD to voluntary family planning programs in Madagascar and Zambia.
