Unmet Need for Family Planning among Married Women of Reproductive Age in An Egyptian Village

Background: Women with unmet need for family planning (FP) comprise an enormous part
of married women of conceptive age in developing countries. In 2015, the estimated
percentage of married women with unmet for FP was estimated as 12%. Many socioeconomic
and reproductive factors influence the high prevalence of unmet need. Objective: The study
was conducted to estimate the contraceptive prevalence rate and the percent of unmet need
and to investigate the determinants of unmet needs among studied women. Methods: A cross
sectional study with analytical components was carried out between January and May 2019 at
Shoha primary health care center, Mansoura District, Dakahlia Governorate on 400 currently
married women in childbearing age. A questionnaire used to obtain both socio-demographic
and reproductive data. Result: The prevalence of unmet need for family planning was 9.8%.
The risk of unmet need was 2.46 more times among working women and 3.39 more times
among women having children aged less than two years Conclusion: A considerable
proportion of rural Egyptian women still have an unmet need. The need for more effective FP
program is very crucial in combating this problem.