The postpartum period is an ideal time for women to access contraception, but the prevalence of postpartum contraceptive use remains low in sub-Saharan Africa. To better understand the gap between women's desires to space or limit births and their contraceptive behaviors, intention to use contraception has been proposed as a person-centered measure of contraceptive demand. Using data from a panel study of Ethiopian women aged 15–49 who were interviewed at six weeks, six months, and one year postpartum, we examined the dynamics of contraceptive intention in the first year postpartum and its relationship with contraceptive use. Contraceptive intention fluctuated considerably in the year after childbirth. At six weeks, 60.9 percent of women intended to use a contraceptive method in the next year; 23.2% did not. By one year, less than half (43.5 percent) were using a method, and those who had no intention to use doubled (44.5 percent). Women who developed or sustained their intention to use a method in the postpartum period were more likely to adopt a method by one year than those who did not, showing that contraceptive intention is a strong predictor of use and has the potential to inform person-centered reproductive health programming in the extended postpartum period.

中文翻译：

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整个产后期的避孕意图和使用：埃塞俄比亚的一项小组研究


产后时期是妇女获得避孕的理想时期，但撒哈拉以南非洲地区产后避孕药的使用率仍然很低。为了更好地了解妇女间隔或限制生育的愿望与其避孕行为之间的差距，人们提出使用避孕的意图作为以人为本的避孕需求衡量标准。我们利用对 15-49 岁埃塞俄比亚妇女在产后六周、六个月和一年进行访谈的小组研究数据，研究了产后第一年避孕意愿的动态及其与避孕药具使用的关系。生育后一年内，避孕意愿波动很大。六周时，60.9% 的女性打算在明年使用避孕方法； 23.2% 没有。到一年后，只有不到一半的人（43.5%）使用某种方法，而那些无意使用的人增加了一倍（44.5%）。在产后期间产生或持续打算使用某种方法的妇女比那些没有这样做的妇女更有可能在一年内采用某种方法，这表明避孕意图是使用的强有力的预测因素，并且有可能为以人为本的信息提供信息。延长产后时期的生殖健康规划。