Coitus and contraception: the utility of data on sexual intercourse for family planning programs
Blanc, A.K.; Rutenberg, N.
Studies in Family Planning 22(3): 162-176
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 1949099 DOI: 10.2307/1966643Document Number: 319417
Researchers took much care in designing questionnaires used for the Demographic and Health Surveys to minimize bias. For example, they included a question on the duration of time since last intercourse. Therefore, nonresponse rates for questions dealing with sexual intercourse were low (1-8%) in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Even though a substantial number of women began sexual relations at least 1 year before 1st union, few had regular relations before 1st union. Premarital sexual relations occurred more often in Sub-Saharan African than latin American and Trinidad and Tobago. For example, the highest rate for 15-17 year olds was in Uganda (32%) and lowest in Trinidad and Tobago (1%). for 22-24 year olds, it varied from 90% in Ghana to 6% in Trinidad and Tobago. Trends in the age at which women 1st marry did not necessarily parallel trends in the age at 1st coitus. Family planning programs should therefore inform never married women about risk of pregnancy even if coitus is sporadic. They should also use coitus dependent methods, e.g., condom or vaginal methods. Women were married and sexually active for an average of 15 years during their reproductive lives and between .5-2 years unmarried and sexually active. 85% of married women had had intercourse within the 3 months before the survey. Nevertheless 5-38% women who used contraceptives did not have sexual intercourse. Therefore reduction in fertility cannot be credited to only contraceptive use. The monthly frequency of coitus fell with rising marriage duration with some variation in the decline across countries. Women who wanted more children had intercourse more frequently than those who did not want more children and those who were undecided. Further women who used coitus independent methods had sexual intercourse more often than those who used coitus dependent methods.