Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of married Egyptian women towards the different methods of contraception, examining the role of employment and education in modulating contraceptive behaviour.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2360 Egyptian women between 15 and 45 years of age who were attending outpatient clinics at a university hospital in Cairo between August 2017 and January 2018. The survey collected sociodemographic data as well as information on education, employment, knowledge about contraceptive methods, current and previous use of contraception, source of family planning advice and side effects from previous contraceptive use.
Results: The response rate was 90.2%. Current use of a contraceptive method was 38.3%. The intrauterine device (IUD) was the leading contraceptive method (50.7%), followed by oral contraceptives (OCs) (23.6%). Contraceptive prevalence was significantly higher among working women (p < .001), whose primary choice was OCs, while IUD use was significantly higher among non-working women (p < .001). Contraceptive prevalence was highest among women with secondary school education or higher (41.6%).
Conclusion: Both employment status and educational level of the surveyed women played a significant role in their contraceptive behaviour.
Keywords: Contraception; family planning; intrauterine device; oral contraceptive pills; sterilisation; vaginal rings.