Bangladesh 2014

7.8 KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF LACTATIONAL AMENORRHEA METHOD
The lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) is a short-term family planning method based on the
natural effect of breastfeeding on fertility. The act of breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding,
suppresses the release of hormones that are necessary for ovulation. Nine percent of currently married
women know about LAM (Table 7.9). Among those who have ever heard of LAM, 21 percent reported
having used it 1 . Awareness of LAM is higher among urban women (11 percent) than rural women (8
percent). However, ever use of LAM is higher among rural women (23 percent) than urban women (16
percent). Ever use of LAM is higher in Sylhet (30 percent) and Chittagong (27 percent) divisions, and among
women in the lowest wealth quintile (24 percent).
Table 7.9 Knowledge and use of LAM by background characteristics by background characteristics
Percentage of currently married women age 15-49 who have heard of LAM and among women who have
heard of LAM, percentage who have ever used LAM, by background characteristics, Bangladesh 2014
Background characteristic
Percent who
have ever heard
of LAM
Number of
women
Among those who heard of LAM:
Percent ever
used LAM
Number of
women who
have heard of
LAM
Number of living children
0 7.2 1,707 1.5 124
1-2 10.4 8,948 20.8 933
3-4 7.1 4,901 24.3 348
5+ 6.5 1,302 29.3 85
Residence
Urban 11.2 4,709 15.5 527
Rural 7.9 12,149 23.2 962
Division
Barisal 12.1 1,051 19.0 127
Chittagong 9.3 3,121 26.8 289
Dhaka 7.8 5,857 16.7 455
Khulna 9.0 1,729 16.3 155
Rajshahi 8.6 2,007 24.5 174
Rangpur 10.0 1,946 16.3 194
Sylhet 8.3 1,147 30.0 95
Education
No education 4.3 3,949 19.1 171
Primary incomplete 7.6 3,032 22.3 230
Primary complete 1 6.7 1,884 23.4 125
Secondary incomplete 9.9 5,477 22.0 545
Secondary complete or higher 2 16.6 2,516 17.3 418
Wealth quintile
Lowest 4.7 3,097 24.1 146
Second 7.0 3,223 21.3 225
Middle 9.9 3,394 22.1 336
Fourth 8.9 3,556 20.5 316
Highest 13.0 3,587 17.9 467
Total 8.8 16,858 20.5 1,489
1
Primary complete is defined as completing grade 5.
2
Secondary complete is defined as completing grade 10.
7.9 SOURCES OF FAMILY PLANNING METHODS
To ascertain the sources of family planning methods in Bangladesh, the 2014 BDHS asked women
who were currently using a modern method of contraception where they obtained the method the last time
they used it. Because women often do not know what category their source fits into (public hospital, upazila
health complex, family welfare center, or private clinic), interviewers were instructed to write the name of
the facility in the questionnaire. Team supervisors verified that the name and the type of source coded were
correct and consistent.
The sources of family planning methods are classified into four major categories: public-sector
sources (including district hospital/medical college hospital, maternal and child welfare centers, upazila
health complexes, family welfare centers, satellite/EPI clinics, community clinics, and government
fieldworkers), private medical sources (including private hospitals and clinics, qualified or traditional
1
This is self-reported use of LAM, with no checks on whether the requirements for LAM use are fulfilled.
82 • Fertility Regulation