Early discontinuation of long-acting reversible contraceptives and associated factors among women discontinuing long-acting reversible contraceptives at national referral hospital, Kampala-Uganda; a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: High levels of unmet need for contraception and unwanted pregnancies are high in developing countries despite efforts to reduce them. Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods are more than 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Discontinuation of LARC within the first year of initiation contributes to the high levels of unmet need. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with the first-year discontinuation of LARC at Kawempe National Referral hospital. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2020 to June 2021. We consecutively recruited 354 participants who discontinued a LARC (intrauterine device {IUD} and sub-dermal implant) during the study period after informed written consent. Data on duration of use, reasons for discontinuation, and factors associated were collected using a face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaire and review of client records. Early LARC discontinuation was defined as the termination of the contraception within the first 12 months of use. Data were entered using SPSS version 14/0 and analyzed in STATA version 15. Prevalence was expressed as a proportion while logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with early LARC discontinuation. Variables with a p-value of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The proportion of first-year discontinuation of LARC was 29%. Women Age less than 25 years (OR = 5.07; 95% CI: 1.1–24.8) and those who desired a family size of fewer than four children (OR = 3.19; 95%CI: 1.2–8.7 ) were more likely to discontinue the LARC within 12 months of initiation after multivariate analysis. Method-related reasons for removal were painful menstrual cramps for implants, recurrent infections for IUDs, and a non-side effect reason was the desire to get pregnant. CONCLUSION: A high proportion of women discontinue LARC within 12 months following initiation. Young adults and those who desire small families are more likely to have first-year discontinuation of LARC. We recommend age-specific counseling for patients receiving the LARC and further studies looking at the depth analysis of reasons for the first-year discontinuation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40834-023-00223-1.