Telling Pregnant Women about their Postpartum Contraceptive Options is not Enough: Evidence from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua

Estela Rivero-Fuentes, Population Council
Ricardo Vernon, Population Council
Ana del Carmen Rojas, Consultorías y Asesorías ALVA, S.A.
Adilia Gadea, Consultorías y Asesorías ALVA, S.A.
Freddy Solis, Consultorías y Asesorías ALVA, S.A.
Maritza Molina, Centro de Estudios Sociales y Demográficos (CESDEM)
Gisela Quiterio, Centro de Estudios Sociales y Demográficos (CESDEM)
Michaelle Boulos, Centre d’Evaluation et de Recherche Apliquée (CERA)
Louis-Marie Boulos, Centre d’Evaluation et de Recherche Apliquée (CERA)
Flor de Maria Cardoza, Ministerio de Salud, Nicaragua
Hector Eusebio, Dirección General Materno-Infantil y Adolescentes (DIGEMIA)

Evidence from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua shows that women who receive family planning counseling immediately after delivery or during their postpartum visits are more likely to adopt a modern contraceptive method in the six-month postpartum period than women who do not receive counseling. Family planning information provided during antenatal care, on the contrary, has no effect on postpartum contraceptive use. Multivariate logistic regression analysis that control for socioeconomic characteristics, parity, desire to limit or space fertility and breastfeeding show that these conclusions hold even after taking into account other factors that influence contraceptive use. The policy implications of our paper suggest that family planning programs should focus more on reaching women during delivery care and the postpartum period.