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5.4 KNOWLEDGE OF FERTILE PERIOD
Table 5.7 Knowledge of fertile period
A basic knowledge of the
physiology of reproduction is especially
useful for the successful practice of
coitus-related methods such as periodic
abstinence. All women in the Ethiopia
DHS were asked about their knowledge
of a woman’s fertile period. The results
are presented in Table 5.7 for users and
nonusers of periodic abstinence. More
than one in two users of periodic
abstinence correctly stated that a woman
is most likely to become pregnant
halfway between two periods. However,
a sizable proportion (37 percent) also
state that a woman is most vulnerable to
Percent distribution of women who use periodic abstinence, of women
who do not use periodic abstinence, and of all women, by knowledge
of the fertile period during the ovulatory cycle, Ethiopia 2000
__________________________________________________________
Users of Nonusers of
Perceived periodic periodic All
fertile period abstinence abstinence women
__________________________________________________________
During her period
Right after her period has ended
Halfway between two periods
Just before her period begins
No specific time
Don't know
Total
Number
3.2 1.2 1.2
37.2 29.6 29.7
53.3 12.2 12.6
1.3 3.0 3.0
2.9 23.4 23.2
2.2 30.6 30.3
100.0 100.0 100.0
160 15,207 15,367
pregnancy right after her period has ended. It is also disconcerting to note that nearly a third of women
did not know when a woman is most susceptible to becoming pregnant, indicating that there is still much
scope for educating women on their physiology.
Table 5.8 Trends in current use of contraception
Percentage of currently married women who are
currently using a contraceptive method, Ethiopia
1990-2000
___________________________________________
2000
Contraceptive 1990 Ethiopia
method NFFS 1 DHS
___________________________________________
Any method
4.8 8.1
Any modern method
Pill
IUD
Injectables
Condom
Female sterilization
Any traditional method
Periodic abstinence
Withdrawal
Sexual abstinence 2
2.9 6.3
2.2 2.5
0.3 0.1
0.0 3.1
0.1 0.3
0.3 0.3
1.9 1.7
0.5 1.5
0.1 0.2
1.2 NA
Number
5,048 9,789
___________________________________________
NA = Not applicable
1 CSA, 1993
2 Sexual abstinence was included as a method of
contraception in the 1990 NFFS.
5.5 TRENDS IN CONTRACEPTIVE USE
The contraceptive prevalence rate among
currently married women in Ethiopia has increased over
the last decade from 5 percent in 1990 (NFFS, 1993) to
8 percent in 2000 (Table 5.8). The use of modern
contraceptive methods doubled from 3 percent in 1990
to 6 percent in 2000. There was also an increase in the
use of periodic abstinence in the last ten years from less
than 1 percent to nearly 2 percent.
Much of the increase in the use of modern
methods over the last decade is attributable to the
increase in the use of injectables from virtually nil in
1990 to 3 percent in 2000. The changes in the other
methods, however, are negligible.
5.6 USE OF SOCIAL MARKETING BRANDS
In the Ethiopia DHS, current users of the pill and
condom were asked for the brand of pills and condoms
they last used. This information is useful in monitoring
the success of social marketing programs that promote a
specific brand. In Ethiopia, “Prudence” and “Choice” are
the two brands of the pill and “Hiwot” the brand of
condom, which are socially marketed.
58 * Fertility Regulation