Uptake of Contraception following childbirth: An Opportunity to Address High Unmet Need in Pakistan

In Pakistan the contraceptive prevalence rate is stagnant at 30% for almost a decade along with high unmet need for contraception (25%) and unwanted fertility as one child per woman (PDHS, 2008). The family planning program of Pakistan has long been focusing on small family size. Recently the focus of this program has been shifted to the spacing between births. It is therefore important to study the behavior of couples regarding contraception following childbirth. Using the contraceptive calendar data from the FALAH baseline survey 2008-09 from the 29 districts across Pakistan, we study the duration of uptake of contraception after childbirth by using life table techniques. We also study the type of contraceptive method adopted and the differentials in the uptake. The effect of desire for more children, antenatal care visits and the place of delivery on the subsequent contraceptive uptake was analyzed using Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Models. Results show that less than a quarter of women adopted an FP method within 6-months of childbirth and desire to limit childbearing was significantly associated with higher uptake. The findings of this study will highlight the importance of introducing the postpartum family planning use in the FP program of Pakistan.