Reducing Health-Related Objections to Contraceptive Use in Egyptian Women

Background: Despite a contraception prevalence rate of 60.3% (2008), 25% of Egyptian women who intended to use contraception and 18% of those who did not cited fear of perceived negative health effects as barriers to use. Methods: We critically reviewed research-based literature and public policy documents and analyzed secondary data related to contraception prevalence in Egypt. Findings: Married women who used more invasive methods of contraception (pill, intrauterine device, injectables) displayed high rates of discontinuation due to side effects (26%, 32%, and 52% respectively), whereas condom users (1% of married women) did not report discontinuations due to health effects. However, condom use is a poorly marketed method of family planning in Egypt. Only 49% of married women reported knowing about condoms, compared to 100% for IUDs, the pill, and injectables. Recommendations: Because condom use relieves women of the side effects of invasive contraceptives and simultaneously empowers men to participate actively in family planning, we recommend the promotion of condom use through community engagement, secondary health education, and mass media collaborations with health educators. To overcome Egyptians' cultural stigma towards condom purchase and use, the advantages of condom use should be widely publicized in popular commercials and televised announcements by medical doctors. Health professionals should emphasize the effectiveness of condoms at preventing STIs, a rising problem given increasingly unsafe sexual behaviors. An increase in condom utilization would serve as an effective alternative to female contraception.