Impediments to use of oral contraceptives among refugee women in camps, Jordan

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study aimed to assess factors related to oral contraceptive (OC) use among refugee married women in the age range 18–50 years, residing in refugee camps in Jordan. Methods: A face-to-face questionnaire was completed by 425 women, who had used OCs at least once in their lifetime as a contraceptive method. Data were collected between November 2016 and January 2017. Results: About 45 percent of women preferred OCs as a contraceptive method. Most (80 percent) women thought OCs were effective, while 68.5 percent were concerned about their safety. About 10.6 percent women became pregnant while using OCs, and 75 percent reported side effects, specifically headache (54.6 percent), irritability (46.4 percent), mood swings (39.1 percent), and weight gain (30.6 percent). However, only 21.2 percent of participating women reported that they knew how to use OCs. Alarmingly, 85.9 percent of women reported that they skipped the OC pill when they missed using it. Knowledge about correct use was directly correlated with education, number of pregnancies and children, and duration of OC use. Conclusion: Women residing in refugees’ camps in Jordan had relative unwillingness to use OCs. Although they tended to use them appropriately and had fair experience with their use, large gaps in their knowledge were apparent.

KEYWORDS:

• Contraception
• oral contraceptives
• refugee women
• women’s health

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research at the University of Jordan.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.