Women’s Knowledge and Opinions Regarding Emergency Contraception

Aim: To know the knowledge and use of contraceptive methods, especially awareness of emergency contraception among women attending gynecology OPD at PGIMS, Rohtak. Study design: Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. Materials and methods: The study was carried out among patients and their attenders attending postpartum center at PGIMS outpatient department, Rohtak. Both married and unmarried women in the reproductive age group were enrolled. A questionnaire was given concerning questions on knowledge and use of contraceptive methods and awareness of emergency contraception. Results: Out of 500 women, 450 women consented for the study. The subjects were both literate (65.1%) and illiterate (34.9%), and belonged to an urban (33.2%) and rural (66.8%) background. Of the 419 married women, 92% practiced contraception, among them 70% were regular users. 110 respondents underwent abortions of which 26 had spontaneous and 84 had induced abortions. Among the available contraceptive methods, condom was the most popular method in 171 women (38%) followed by Copper-T in 50 women (11.1%). The use of hormonal contraception was very low 9%. Print and electronic media were the common source of public awareness in 149 subjects (57.7%), 55 women (12.2%) were aware and only six women used emergency contraception. Conclusion: The awareness of emergency contraception was low in both literate and in illiterate population. With rural background the awareness about emergency contraception was almost nil, about proper timing, use and its side effects. Appropriate awareness programs on EC are needed for the population, so that they can benefit maximum from it.