Contraceptive practice among married women in urban areas catered by a medical college in Belagavi, Karnataka

Introduction: Population explosion is one of the most hazards to the development of India. The most effective way to control this is by reducing birth rate using contraception. Objective: To know the prevalence of contraceptive use among married women. Methodology: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among married women aged 15-44 years residing in three urban areas of Belagavi using predesigned and pretested questionnaire after obtaining informed consent. Results: The prevalence of contraceptive use in the present study was 353 (58.8%), among them 96 (16.0%) were condom user, 113 (18.9%) were using intrauterine device, 26 (4.3%) were practicing rhythm method, 20 (3.3%) of them were using oral contraceptive pill, and 98 (16.3%) were practicing sterilization method. Conclusion: Prevalence rate of contraceptive use was relatively less. Improving female literacy and proper counseling of couples for family planning would help improve the prevalence rate.