Interviewer instructions
This section collects information relating to the knowledge and use of various contraceptive methods which a couple can use to avoid or delay pregnancy. The topic of contraception and family planning may be considered a personal matter by a respondent, and she may feel embarrassed to talk about it. To overcome her embarrassment, you must show that you do not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable in any way. Ask these questions as if they were no different from any other questions in the questionnaire. If she is hesitant to answer any of these questions, reassure her that everything she says will be treated confidentially and that the same questions are being asked of women all over the city.
Qs. 301-304: CONTRACEPTIVE TABLE
The contraceptive table is used to record the information that the respondent provides about her knowledge and use of specific contraceptive methods in response to Qs 301 and 304.
This is how you should work through this table:
1) Read the introductory sentence at the top of the table. Then ask Q.301 and wait for the respondent to mention the contraceptive methods she knows about. Select 'YES' in the first column for each method that she mentions spontaneously. Do not rush the respondent but allow her to tell you about all the methods she knows. If she mentions any method not listed in the table (e.g., a folk method such as herbs), select 'YES' for Method 13 at the bottom of the table and write the name(s) of the method(s) in the space provided. If she mentions more than two other methods for Method 13, record only the first two methods mentioned.
2) After you have completed the list of methods asking about knowledge, return to the top of the list and ask Q. 302 (ever use) for each method that the respondent has heard of, that is, for each method in which a 'YES' is selected in Q. 301. If Q. 301 is NO, leave Q. 302 blank for that method. For women who have had more than one partner, Question 302 refers to use with any of her partners, whether or not the she is currently living together with or married to that partner at the time of the survey. For example, if the respondent has been married more than once, it does not matter with which of her husband she may have used a method. For methods she reports she has ever used, proceed to Q303 and 304 and ask about her age and number of children she had at the time she first used the method. For methods that the woman says she has never used, leave 303 and 304 blank.
When asking about the use of female sterilization, say, “Have you ever had an operation to avoid having any more children?” If the woman indicates that she has had such an operation, probe to determine that the operation was undertaken for contraceptive purposes, i.e., because the woman wanted to avoid having more children and not because the woman had health problems which necessitated the removal of the uterus or ovaries.
In asking Q. 302 for male methods, such as the condom and withdrawal, use the phrase, “Have you and your husband or any partner ever used (condoms/withdrawal)?” Similarly, when asking about male sterilization, say, “Have you ever had a partner who had an operation to avoid having anymore children?” If she has had more than one husband or partner, we are interested in finding out whether condoms or withdrawal were used with any of her husband/partner(s) or whether any of her husband/partner(s) was sterilized at the time she was married or living together with him. Remember that the answer to this question is YES even if the husband/partner used a method for only a short time or if the woman used the method with only one partner. If she has named any other methods in Q. 301 (Method 13), be sure to ask whether she ever used them in Q. 302 and record her answer then proceed with Q303 and 304 for any method she reports she has used.
Description of Contraceptive Methods
In order to complete the contraceptive table accurately and completely, it is important that you have some knowledge of contraceptive methods yourself and that you are familiar with the names that people use to refer to each method. The following provides additional information on selected methods that are included in the contraceptive table that may be useful in completing the table:
FEMALE STERILIZATION. There are several types of operations a woman can have that will make her sterile, including a “tube tie” or the removal of the uterus (i.e., a hysterectomy) or ovaries. Operations to remove the womb or uterus may be performed for reasons other than to provide contraceptive protection, e.g., because the woman experienced a problem during delivery, the woman had recurrent spells of heavy bleeding, or cancer was found. Only when the operation was performed to enable the woman to stop having children should you record it as sterilization.
MALE STERILIZATION. This is a comparatively minor operation done on men for contraceptive purposes. It is also called vasectomy.
INJECTABLES. An injection of hormone that is released slowly into the bloodstream can be given regularly to women to prevent pregnancy. The most common type of injectable contraceptive is given every two or three months depending on the type.
IMPLANTS. Also called Norplant, these are small rods surgically implanted in a woman's upper arm. They usually protect a woman against pregnancy for five or more years.
FEMALE CONDOM. A thin, transparent rubber can be placed in the vagina before sex to avoid pregnancy.
LACTATIONAL AMENORRHEA METHOD (LAM). Women can postpone the return of menstruation after a birth (and therefore remain unlikely to become pregnant) by breastfeeding frequently. A specially taught method that makes use of this principle is the lactational amenorrhea method (known as LAM). This method requires a woman to breastfeed frequently (without feeding the child anything else except water) and to know that the method can be used for up to six months after a birth as long as menstruation has not returned. The method also teaches women that if menstruation returns, the child becomes six months old, or the mother starts feeding her child anything other than breast milk or plain water, they should begin using another method of contraception if they want to avoid becoming pregnant.
RHYTHM METHOD. This is also called the safe period, periodic abstinence, or the calendar method. This method is based on the principle that by not having sexual intercourse on certain days of her monthly cycle, a woman can avoid becoming pregnant. Note that this is not the same as prolonged abstinence where the couple stops having sexual intercourse for months at a time to avoid pregnancy without regard to the woman's monthly cycle. To ensure that the respondent understands, stress the phrase “on the days of the month she is most likely to get pregnant.” Also, if a woman does not feel like having sex on particular days of her cycle, that does not mean that she is using the rhythm method.
EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION. Women can take pills up to five days after having unprotected sex to avoid getting pregnant. These pills are also called “morning-after pills.”
ANY OTHER METHOD(S). Women may mention methods that are not described in the table. These may include modern methods such as spermicides including foam, cream, jelly, foaming tablets, or suppositories that are used to kill sperm or make sperm unable to move toward the egg. They may also mention the diaphragm or cervical cap. Diaphragms and cervical caps are soft rubber cups that can be placed in the vagina to cover the cervix to block sperm from entering the uterus and tubes where sperm could meet an egg. Diaphragms and cervical caps should be used with spermicidal jelly or cream. Women may also mention traditional or folk methods such as prolonged abstinence, breastfeeding, or herbs.
