Contraceptive needs of women over 35
Ketting, E.
Maturitas Suppl 1: 23-38
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0378-5122 PMID: 3237109 DOI: 10.1016/0378-5122(88)90005-9Document Number: 363597
Traditionally, development, production, and distribution of contraceptives have defined the contraceptive needs of women, instead of their needs defining development, production, and distribution of contraceptives. As long as the family planning community and contraceptive producers remain unsuccessful in meeting real contraceptive needs of women, women will continue to view contraception with suspicion. For example, a false rumor about family planning in Botswana is that contraceptives cause venereal disease. A variety of contraceptive options must be available to women because needs vary greatly among different groups of women since they have different reproductive, health, and behavioral needs. Family planning programs in developing countries should emphasize the health needs of older women (35 years old) as well as consider the cultural significance that a woman's reproductive potential may have. For instance, having a large family is a very important objective in life because children often support their parents in old age, so these women begin having children early and continue to do so often into their 40s. In developed countries, women are postponing childbearing until they are well into their 30s. In addition, women are increasingly ambivalent about the completeness of their families, thereby establishing a need for medically safe, reversible methods of contraception throughout women's final fertile years. The health risks of pregnancy and childbearing are very much lower for women 35 years old in developed countries than those in developing countries. Health concerns in the developed countries have focused on the immediate health risks of contraceptive use rather than pregnancy and childbearing.