Adolescent mothers' non-utilization of contraceptives in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancies are high-risk obstetric occurrences with far-reaching implications for these mothers’ education, employment, general wellbeing and health. Adolescent motherhood could imply lifelong poverty. With available contraceptives, pregnancies can be postponed until the adolescents have completed their schooling and can care for their babies. The purpose of the study was to identify factors that influenced adolescent mothers’ failure to use contraceptives effectively, and to make recommendations to address these factors. A quantitative descriptive research design was adopted, and structured interviews were conducted with 43 adolescent mothers who visited the postnatal or well baby clinics in Marondera district. Factors that contributed to adolescent mothers’ non-utilisation of contraceptives included their lack of timely sex education, lack of knowledge about contraceptives, fears of infertility after the utilisation of contraceptives, lack of knowledge about and the inaccessibility of emergency contraceptives and termination of pregnancy services in the Marondera district. Adolescents need more knowledge about accessible contraceptives. The possibility of providing emergency contraceptives to women in Zimbabwe should be investigated. Even in the absence of termination of pregnancy services, the accessibility of contraceptives and emergency contraceptives could help adolescents to delay childbearing, providing adolescents with more power to plan their own futures – and those of their future children.