Contraceptive practices of women in Northern Tshwane, Gauteng Province

Despite the availability of free contraceptives in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), unwanted and unintended pregnancies continue to pose challenges to reproductive health services. Structuredinterviews were conducted with 83 women in the Northern Tshwane area of the Gauteng Province about their contraceptive practices. All the participants couldgain more knowledge about the effective use ofmodern contraceptives. Knowledge about emergency contraceptives was extremely limited. Although most participants knew about legalised termination of pregnancy services in the RSA, they didnot know how to access these services. The recommendations address ways in which contraceptive services could be improved. Keywords: adolescents\' contraceptive use; emergency contraception; contraception; termination of pregnancy Health SA Gesondheid Vol. 9 (4) 2004: pp. 42-5