IUD use effectiveness in an urban Guatemalan clinic.

Contraceptive continuation rates-the rates at which people continue to use a particular contraceptive method-can be a great help in determining whether a family planning program is effective or whether new contraceptive methods should be introduced. Until now, very little systematic work has been done to study contraceptive continuation rates in Latin America. The present article reports the results of one of the few existing studies on this subject, which examined the IUD experiences of women admitted to a large family planning clinic in Guatemala City. The study showed that these experiences compared favorably with the IUD experience of groups previously studied in Costa Rica, Taiwan, and the United States.

PIP: Contraceptive continuation rates were determined for 366 women admitted to a large urban family planning clinic in Guatemala city for their 1st IUD insertion between July 1, 1969-June 30, 1970. Data were recorded and analyzed using multiple decrement life table techniques. 75% of the women were between 20-34 years of age; over 90% had had 2 or more pregnancies. 63% of patients wanted no more children, while 37% wanted to space their children. 87.4% received Size D Lippes Loops and 6.8% Size C Lippes Loops. The cumulative continuation rate at the end of the first 12 ordinal months was 72.1/100 1st insertions; after 2 years, an estimated 56% were continuing IUD use. The median length of use was 27 months. 2.2% of women became pregnant during the 1st year, 3.2% within 2 years. 10% expelled the IUD during the 1st year, 13% during the first 2 years of use. 11% of the women had the IUD removed for medical reasons within 1 year and 19% within 2 years. Except for the 1st month, the cumulative continuation rates for women 15-24 years of age were consistently lower than other age groups. The cumulative continuation rates for women with 2 or more living sons were consistently higher than those with fewer sons; the difference of 14.4/100 1st insertions is the most substantial demographic difference. This study showed results which compare favorably with experience in Costa Rica, Taiwan, and the U.S.

IUD use effectiveness in an urban Guatemalan clinic

Contraceptive continuation rates-the rates at which people continue to use a particular contraceptive method-can be a great help in determining whether a family planning program is effective or whether new contraceptive methods should be introduced. Until now, very little systematic work has been done to study contraceptive continuation rates in Latin America. The present article reports the results of one of the few existing studies on this subject, which examined the IUD experiences of women admitted to a large family planning clinic in Guatemala City. The study showed that these experiences compared favorably with the IUD experience of groups previously studied in Costa Rica, Taiwan, and the United States (Au)