| Abstract: | Of 1647 women in confinement (mean age 26years) and 185 students nurses (mean age 18 years), the majority wanted two children. 8% of the women in confinement and 2% of the student nurses had received no previous family planning information, whereas 38% of the women in confinement and 81% of the student nurses had practiced contraceptive methods with a Pearl-index of 3 or less (oral contraceptives, basal-temperature-method). 31% of the women in confinement had already had unplanned pregnancies (mean: 1.4 pregnancy per woman). The last pregnancy was not planned in 27% and in these 4 out of 5 pregnancies were caused by incorrect application of the contraceptive method. Faulty practices and unsatisfactory results, in spite of the availability of secure contraceptive methods, emphasize the necessity of intensifying family planning. Because programmes including personal counsel have yielded better results, these should be favoured and include a clinical post partum programme. The latter was considered necessary by 95% of the women attending such a programme in our hospital. |
