Demographic and Health Survey 2009-10 - Timor-Leste Ministry of ...

Table 5.10 Future use of contraception
Percent distribution of currently married women age 15-49 who are not using a
contraceptive method by intention to use in the future, according to number of living
children, Timor-Leste 2009-10
Intention
Number of living children1 0 1 2 3 4+
Total
Intends to use 10.4 26.0 23.2 21.8 17.0 19.5
Unsure 17.8 31.1 31.6 28.6 24.3 26.6
Does not intend to use 71.7 43.0 45.3 49.6 58.7 53.8
Missing 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number of women 300 831 918 932 3,160 6,141
1 Includes current pregnancy
5.14 REASONS FOR NON-USE OF
CONTRACEPTION IN THE FUTURE
An understanding of the reasons women
give for not using family planning methods is critical
to designing programs that could improve the quality
of services and widen the method mix. Table 5.11
shows the percent distribution of currently married
women who are not using a contraceptive method
and who do not intend to use one in the future by the
main reasons for not intending to use.
Fifty-five percent of women do not intend to
use contraception in the future because of opposition
to its use, with the majority stating that they themselves
are opposed to its use (46 percent). Nine percent
mention that their husband/partner is opposed to
the use of contraception. Twenty-one percent of
women cited method-related reasons for non-use, the
most common of these being fear of side effects (10
percent) and health concerns (8 percent). Sixteen
percent of women cited fertility-related reasons for
non-use in the future, with 7 percent of these women
reporting themselves as subfecund or infecund. Six
percent of women mention that they don’t know of a
method or a source for a method.
5.15 PREFERRED METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION FOR FUTURE USE
Table 5.11 Reason for not intending to use contraception
in the future
Percent distribution of currently married women age 15-
49 who are not using contraception and who do not
intend to use in the future by main reason for not
intending to use, Timor-Leste 2009-10
Reason
Fertility-related reasons
Percent
distribution
Infrequent sex/no sex 1.5
Menopausal/had hysterectomy 4.3
Subfecund/infecund 6.7
Wants as many children as possible
Opposition to use
3.2
Respondent opposed 46.0
Husband/partner opposed 8.5
Others opposed 0.2
Religious prohibition
Lack of knowledge
0.3
Knows no method 5.4
Knows no source
Method-related reasons
0.3
Health concerns 8.3
Fear of side effects 10.1
Lack of access/too far 0.5
Inconvenient to use 0.1
Interfere with body’s normal process 2.0
Other 1.4
Don’t know 1.4
Total 100.0
Number of women 3,306
Future demand for specific methods of family planning can be assessed by asking nonusers
who intend to use in the future which methods they prefer to use. Table 5.12 provides some indication
of currently married women’s preferences for the method they might use in the future. However, the
information should be interpreted with caution because two conditions are implied here: intention to
use and method preferred if intention is followed. Most currently married women would prefer to use
injectables (71 percent) and pills (11 percent) in the future. About 4 percent of women each
mentioned the IUD or implants as a preferred method for future use. These percentages should also be
interpreted in the context of overall limited awareness of methods other than injectables. It is highly
likely that increasing awareness of other methods and their advantages and disadvantages will lead to
a greater variety of methods being preferred by women according to individual need.
Family Planning | 73