By PIA-Bohol | 09:04 PM November 04, 2023
For childbearing married women who are using contraception in in Central Visayas, pills rank up as the most popular modern method of preventing unplanned pregnancy , data from the recent National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed.
Despite a strong Church-backed natural periodic abstinence in postponing or avoiding pregnancy for just reasons, hard times may have pushed couples to seek out the less risky and non-intrusive methods in their menu of options, the NDHS data showed as presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
During the 2022 NDHS Data Dissemination held at the JJs Seafoods Village here in Tagbilaran, PSA Bohol chief Jessamyne Anne Alcazaren pointed out that there are also a huge number of married couples who opt for the traditional methods where the periodic abstinence in the Rhythm Method and Withdrawal are the most commonly used.
Ranking next is the traditional method called withdrawal.
This method, although poses a high risk of pregnancy entails the male pulling out and ejaculating outside to prevent the sperm from getting into the uterus and causing pregnancy.
Of those who use modern contraception methods, ranking after pills which has 18.3 % of couples using and withdrawal at 11.8% of couples opting.
While pills belong to the modern method, withdrawal is a traditional method.
After withdrawal is the use of intra-uterine device (IUD) at 7.2% of couples.
An IUD is a piece of T-shaped plastic that is placed inside the woman’s uterus to prevent pregnancy. There have been two types of IUDs: copper coated and progestin-inducing; both preventing the sperm from fertilizing the egg.
Fifth in the list of popular contraception methods is injectables at 7.0%.
By injectables, it means that the woman is injected a hormone called depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), which is like the hormone progesterone, which prevents of ovulation by inhibiting follicular development and thus stop ovulation. The downside however is that these birth control injections have to be given every 3 months.
Next more popular among the contraception methods is female sterilization at 6.9%.
Also popularly known as tubal ligation, sterilization for women can be done through a surgical minilaparotomy and laparoscopy.
Minilaparotomy, or using a small abdominal incision to access the fallopian tubes (tubal), where a small section of each tube is removed, to deter the sperm from getting to the uterus.
Next is the traditional Rhythm method at 4.5%, where couples engage in sexual intercourse only during a woman’s naturally occurring infertile times of the woman’s ovulatory cycle.
And then the next more popular option for contraception is the use of male condoms at 2.9%.
Condoms or rubber sheaths are worn by the males to contain the sperm during intercourse and stopping it from getting to the female organ.
Least among the modern contraception methods is the use of implants at 2.1%.
The use of implantable contraception (or birth control implant) uses the same principle as the IUD, but instead of putting the implant in the uterus, this small, flexible plastic tube can be put under the skin of the upper arm, this implant also releases hormones that can help protect against pregnancy for up to 3 years.
In Central Visayas, while Total Fertility Rate is at 2.0% for women aging 15-49, those in the same age bracket that use modern contraception method is at 45% of them, according to the PSA survey. (PIABohol)
