PERCEPTION & ATTITUDE OF FEMALE USERS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS IN MOSUL, IRAQ

Ban Abdulkhalk Yehea; Rabei Abdullah Salih

doi:10.46903/gjms/22.03.1724

PERCEPTION & ATTITUDE OF FEMALE USERS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS IN MOSUL, IRAQ

Ban Abdulkhalk Yehea, Rabei Abdullah Salih

Abstract

Background: Oral contraceptive tablets are the most popular method used by women to control birth. This study aimed to assess the perceptions and attitudes of female users of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs).

Materials & Methods: A quantitative observational cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Pharmacy, Tikrit University, Mosul city over two months in 2023. A total of 532 married women aged 20-45 years were recruited through convenience sampling from online communities. Data was collected using a two-part questionnaire to evaluate demographic information and attitudes toward OCPs.

Results: In total, 532 participants contributed to this study, in which we sought to determine their level of knowledge regarding OCPs’ side effects. The majority of participants (79.3%) understood that they should take any missed pills as soon as they remember to do so and subsequent pills at the scheduled time if they forgot to take one within 12 hours. Only approximately 30% of participants were aware that they needed to use additional protection for the next seven days if they missed taking their OCP for longer than 12 hours, and about 55.1% of individuals reported.

Conclusion: This study highlights that women in Mosul possess adequate knowledge about OCPs and are capable of evaluating their advantages and disadvantages. This suggests the need for improved educational strategies to further enhance women’s understanding and perceptions of family planning options.

Keywords

Knowledge; Oral Contraceptive; Perception; Pregnancy.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46903/gjms/22.03.1724