46 per cent of women in Uganda get unintended pregnancies – report

The new research conducted in different health facilities in Uganda has shown that 46 per cent of women in the year got accidental pregnancies.

The research that was conducted by Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) shows that there was an increase in unintended pregnancies over the last three years from 43.2 per cent in 2020 to 46 per cent in 2022.

Associate Prof Fred Makumbi, from Makerere University School of Public Health and team leader for the research, said the majority of women have continued to shun visiting health facilities to be enrolled on different family planning methods.

The report also shows that 62.9 per cent of girls between 15 and 19 years last year had unexpected pregnancies while those between 25 and 49 years were 43.6 per cent which is an increase from 41.5 per cent in 2021.

The report which was released on Tuesday in Fort Portal city, also shows that a total of 5.79 million women last year visited health facilities for family planning compared to 5.71 million in 2021.

For married women between 15 and 49 years, 8.7 per cent use traditional family planning methods which increased from 7.7 per cent in 2021, and 41.4 per cent use modern methods, which is a decrease from 43.4 per cent in 2021.

A section of women has blamed the low uptake of modern family planning methods on the lack of male involvement who fail to support their women.

Rev Sarah Kakyo, from Ruwenzori diocese, said: “We should not blame women for not going for family planning, we should begin by making men who make women pregnant aware of the value of family planning.”

The uptake of family planning methods among adolescents below 19 years is at 22 per cent compared to 30 per cent for those above 25 years.

Ms Zura Muhindo, a health worker attached to Bundibugyo District Hospital said poverty and lack of access to information on family planning methods are the leading causes of unwanted pregnancies.

The Bunyangabu District Health Officer, Dr Richard Obeti, said: “Many people think family planning is all about contraceptives. Others think we are totally stopping them from producing, which is not true. We have now started engaging men for long-term methods like vasectomy. We have three men who have taken up this method since January this year.”