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Post-partum events and fertility control in Kinshasa, Zaïre

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Jane T. Bertrand ,
C. Chirhamolekwa ,
B. Djunghu ,
K. Chibalonza  and
K. Mahama
Jane T. Bertrand
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, USA
C. Chirhamolekwa
Affiliation:
Projet des Services des Naissances Désirables, Kinshasa, Zaïre
B. Djunghu
Affiliation:
Projet des Services des Naissances Désirables, Kinshasa, Zaïre
K. Chibalonza
Affiliation:
Projet des Services des Naissances Désirables, Kinshasa, Zaïre
K. Mahama
Affiliation:
Projet des Services des Naissances Désirables, Kinshasa, Zaïre
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Summary

Contraceptive prevalence surveys from sub-Saharan Africa typically show low rates of method use. The current study of one zone in Kinshasa, Zaïre, provides a more detailed view of fertility control in an urban population by examining the relative duration of breast-feeding, amenor-rhoea and sexual abstinence during the post-partum period. While motivations to prevent pregnancy remain high until the youngest child is over 24 months, the average duration of abstinence is only 4 months. This paper describes the methods women use to avoid pregnancy and the changes over the post-partum period.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , April 1990 , pp. 197 - 211
Copyright
Copyright © 1990, Cambridge University Press

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