Men still beating women over use of contraception

HEALTH 

For four years now, Teopista Nalyazi, has been moving with her team to different health centers across Uganda distributing contraceptives to mothers.

This time round, we found Nalyazi at Butuntumula Health Center III in Luwero District with her team of two nurses and a male counsellor.

Several women had come to the health center for counselling and to get family planning methods to help them manage how they have children.

As we celebrate World Contraception Day today, Nalyazi says to ensure every pregnancy is wanted, men should be supportive because it's a woman who bear the burden of being pregnant.

"I feel good being part of each woman's life, giving her the contraceptives she needs to manage child birth hence having a life better," she says.

The mother of two says, she also uses family planning which has helped her planned well and have enough time to care for her family.

Nalyazi who is a nurse at Marie Stopes Uganda, adds that when a woman gets pregnant before she is ready, it's challenging. They get disappointed.

"I feel good when a woman comes to me and says now I want to deliver. But I feel bad when a woman comes and wants a method but she tests positive for pregnancy," says Nalyazi.

She says some women end up with unwanted pregnancies because they are on different medication hence affecting the given contraceptive method.

Men worsening the situation

"Some women come for family planning but when they go back home, they get beatings from their husbands," says Nalyazi.

When he feels the contraceptive, Nalyazi explains that he will force the woman to remove it, saying he wants more children because they were born few.

However, there is another option called the Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD). Nalyazi says, with such an option, a man will not feel it.

Involving men

According to Nalyazi when women come for contraceptives, some come along with their husbands for counseling.

"Such categories of men are easy to convince to embrace family planning. To those that are hard to convince, there is not much of a solution but we try depending on one's reaction" she says.

"Some men get so bitter that they can even beat you for suggesting contraceptive use," she states.

Uptake of contraceptives in Uganda

According to available statistics, 35% of Ugandan women aged 15 to 49 currently use modern contraception, however, 28% have an unmet need for contraception.

The use of modern contraception is higher among the rich women at 49%, urban women at 41%, rural women at 33% and poor women at 22%.

Uganda has one of the highest fertility rates in the world at 5.4, which means on average woman can give birth to five children.

However, 43% of women have unintended pregnancies, 88% due to lack of contraceptives and 12% due to contraceptive failure.

Where the solution lies

"We need to increase sensitiation on the benefits of contraceptives for men to understand what family planning is," she adds that by doing so, they will stop beating their wives or discouraging them from using contraceptives.