The Acceptance of Postpartum Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices Among Women Who Receive Focused Family Planning Counseling in the Antenatal Period Compared to Those Who Receive Routine Counseling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and objective Unplanned pregnancies are very common in the postpartum period, and they often lead to negative outcomes such as abortion, low-birth-weight neonates, early delivery, postpartum bleeding, and fetal mortality. In the first 12 months after delivery, closely spaced and unintentional pregnancies can be prevented with postpartum contraception. The postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) is a method of family planning that may be used during the first few weeks after giving birth, and it is highly successful, reliable, affordable, non-hormonal, immediately reversible, long-acting, and does not interfere with lactation. Urban and educated women are largely aware of IUCD and its benefits, but the proportion of these women who use them is still small. In light of this, this study aimed to assess if providing focused antenatal counseling led to a greater postpartum IUCD acceptance rate when compared to routine counseling. Method We conducted a randomized controlled trial in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of a tertiary care center from January 2021 to December 2022. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 220 women were enrolled and were classified into two groups. Group A comprised 110 women (the focused counseling group) who received focused postpartum family planning (PPFP) counseling, and Group B consisted of the control group involving 110 women who received routine counseling. Results In both groups, the women who inserted IUCD were mostly gravida 2. Additionally, willingness to use IUCD was shown by 68% of women in the focused counseling group and 58% of women in the routine counseling group, and PPIUCD was accepted by 22% of women in the focused counseling group and 9% of women in the routine counseling group. Post-placental insertion was carried out in 18 (75%) cases in the focused counseling group and seven (70%) cases in the routine counseling group. Extended postpartum insertion (insertion within one year of delivery) was carried out in six (25%) cases in the focused counseling group and three (30%) cases in the routine counseling group. The most common reasons for the refusal were a preference for tubal ligation (TL) and a fear of side effects. When the patients were enquired about their contraceptive use over the past year on telephone conversations after one year of delivery, it was observed that 21.81% inserted PPIUCD, 30% used injectable depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), 13.63% had undergone TL, 11.81% used barrier contraception, while 22.72% did not use any contraception in the focussed counseling group. In the routine counseling group, 16.36% of women inserted PPIUCD, 20% used injectable DMPA, 12.72% underwent TL, 18.18% used barrier contraception, and 32.72% did not use any contraception. Conclusion Although PPIUCD is a long-acting reversible contraceptive that is safe and reliable, only a few women choose it as a method of birth control. This may be due to ignorance, misconceptions, and worries/fears about potential difficulties/adverse effects associated with IUCD insertion. The IUCD stigma mostly results from misconceptions about the fear of complications. Hence, we recommend that proper IUCD counseling be provided during antenatal care visits to dispel misunderstandings and concerns regarding potential complications associated with PPIUCD insertion.