Factors preventing women from choosing an intrauterine device in primary health care

Abstract

Objectives and methods: The study is a cross-sectional, descriptive-quantitative study, carried out in two Primary Health Care Units, located in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza, in Caucaia, through the application of a supervised questionnaire with mixed questions, by two trained interviewers, women in menopause, in elective consultations or spontaneous demand, under consent, composing consecutive sampling, between December/2022 and June/2024. The data was collected and analyzed on the RedCap® platform using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Mann-Whitney statistical tests for normality. Results: Of the 173 women interviewed, the majority were brown (69.9%), with children (73.3%), married/stable union (60.1%) and had completed high school (50.3%). Most of the women reported that there were factors discouraging them from seeking the device as a contraceptive, the most common being lack of information and fear. There was an association (p<0.001) between lack of information and lack of interest in the device. Conclusion: Poor information for patients at an opportune time for their health is an important gap to be resolved, given the various obstacles such as pressure on health care, the lack of information and the lack of interest in the device. Health education is part of the process of empowering women, allowing each one to choose their method, individually, according to their expectations, reality and health condition.