Reasons For Contraceptive Non-Use In Lesotho

The 1995 Lesotho Safe Motherhood Initiative Women’s Health Survey is used to analyse thereasons women who were at the risk of conception were giving for not using contraceptivemethods and the characteristics of women who give a particular reason. The most commonreasons cited were desire to have children, fear of side effects or health risks, lack ofinformation on contraceptive methods and husband’s objection to use of contraceptivemethods. Objection from others, including husbands, was more of a problem among olderwomen, those currently married, those with low levels of education and those residing in therural and mountainous region. Health risks or side effects were feared mainly by multiparouswomen, those with high levels of education and women living in the urban areas while lackof information or methods was cited more by younger women, never married women, lowlyeducated women and those living in the mountainous and rural areas of Lesotho. Theseresults suggest that with provision of accurate information about family planning, easy accessto family planning services, closer medical supervision, and major cultural change in attitudesof people, particularly men, towards use of contraception, there is a chance that contraceptiveuse in Lesotho will increase