Understanding patterns of temporary method use among urban women from Uttar Pradesh, India

Introduction Female sterilization continues to dominate among family planning methods in India. With an overall national contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of 56% among currently married women, female sterilization accounts for 66% percent of the share, having declined only one percentage point since 1992-93. In contrast, the share of use held by the three most common modern temporary methods (male condoms, oral contraceptive pills, and IUD) has increased from 14% in 1992-93 to 18% in 2005-06, the most recent year for which the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) statistics are available. Condoms alone account for 9% of use and together with the rhythm method (9%), are the most popular forms of temporary method use in the country. The slow increase in the prevalence of temporary method use is not trivial as the country continues to break away from the vestiges of a historical prioritization of sterilization as a limiting method and gains ground with a more recent emphasis on delaying births and birth spacing.