An assessment of trends in the use of the IUD in Ghana: National results dissemination and utilization

The IUD is a safe and reversible contraceptive method that requires little effort on the part of the user once inserted and offers up to 10 years of protection against pregnancy. It is also the most cost-effective method of reversible contraception currently available. Despite these advantages the use of the IUD in relation to other contraceptive methods is reported to have either stagnated or declined in a number of countries including Ghana. Given the lack of understanding of the reasons why IUD use in Ghana has stagnated and may well have declined a study was conducted in 2003 by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program (FRONTIERS) to answer the following key questions: What client characteristics affect the demand for and use of the IUD? What are the provider and system characteristics that shape use of the IUD? What can be done to reduce barriers to the use of the IUD? The overall aim of the study was to inform GHS USAID and other partners involved in providing family planning services in Ghana about future directions that could be taken to reinvigorate the IUD within the context of a family planning service based on the principles of free and informed choice. The Health Research Unit (HRU) conducted the study with technical assistance from FRONTIERS and funding from USAID. (excerpt)