Experiences of women of child bearing age regarding the provision of implanon contraceptive device in North West Province

Abstract

The World Health Organisation has stated that millions of women in developing countries who are of an age to use contraceptives and who do not wish to fall pregnant are not utilising current and recent family planning contraceptive methods. It was reported that common reasons for women not using such contraceptives included problems such as traveling to other healthcare facilities or a shortage of supplies. One of the modern contraceptive methods is Implanon, which is highly effective but poorly utilised. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of women of childbearing age relating to the provision of the Implanon contraceptive device. Methods: Exploratory, descriptive and phenomenological qualitative research method was conducted to explore the experiences of the participants when it came to the provision of Implanon contraceptive device at primary health care facilities. The population was the women who were using Implanon contraceptive device as a method of birth control and those who had removed the device before the stipulated date of three years. A non-probability convenience-sampling method was used to choose women of childbearing age for this study. The Colaizzi method of analysis was chosen, which assisted the researcher in unfolding the essential experiences by women of childbearing age regarding the provision of Implanon at primary health care facilities.Results: Six themes and sub themes emerged from the current study. Few participants had used the Implanon contraceptive devices for 3 years, with the majority removing it before time because of side effects. Most of the participants indicated that they were poorly informed about how the method worked. They had learned about the method by reading and from discussions with friends and family members. Conclusion: Poor effective pre- and post-counselling, eligibility screening, intolerable side effects of the Implanon contraceptive device and their poor management are regarded as factors contributing to the early discontinuation and reduced uptake of the method by women of childbearing age. The specific and effective training of healthcare providers regarding the Implanon contraceptive device is required. The Implanon contraceptive device guideline per endorsement is needed to enhance the quality of information gathered from women of childbearing age during the pre-counselling session.