Introduction of postabortion contraception, prioritizing long-acting reversible contraceptives, in the principal maternity hospital of Gabon

Abstract

A prospective, descriptive, analytic study was conducted at the Centre Hospitalier de Libreville in Gabon between February and September 2013 to evaluate acceptance of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) and depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) following abortion. Women received counseling on the combined oral pill, DMPA, copper intrauterine devices (IUDs), and implants. The association between sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, knowledge of contraceptives, and acceptance was analyzed. Of the 383 women admitted with abortion complications, 206 (53.7%) knew of no systemic contraceptives. The best-known method was the oral pill (42.0%). Only 14 women (3.6%) knew of a LARC method (IUD or implants) and only 2 (0.5%) said the injectable was their best-known method. Over 90% accepted a modern contraceptive method after abortion. Two-thirds (66.8%) chose the pill, 14.6% DMPA, and 9.3% a LARC method. Only 9.1% of the women refused to initiate use of any method.

Keywords: DMPA; FIGO initiative; Gabon; Long-acting reversible contraceptives; Postabortion contraception; Prevention; Unsafe abortion.