Postpartum contraceptive initiation and use: Evidence from Accra, Ghana.

Background: Postpartum contraceptive use reduces unintended pregnancies and results in better health outcomes for children and women. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on postpartum contraceptive use in Ghana, particularly among women in low-income urban settings. To shed light on strategies that might enhance access to postpartum family planning services in low-income urban settings, we examined contraceptive use among postpartum women in Accra, Ghana, at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following the birth and the methods used.

Covert Contraceptive Use amongst the urban poor in Accra, Ghana: experiences of health providers.

Background: An estimated one-third of women in Ghana use contraceptives without the knowledge of their partners, a phenomenon known as Covert Contraceptive Use (CCU). Most research on CCU to date has focused on individual women to the neglect of the role of health system. This study explores CCU in urban poor communities of Accra, Ghana, from the experiences and perspectives of health providers.

Partner support and women's contraceptive use: insight from urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana.

Background: Despite the benefits associated with contraceptive use, there is a low prevalence of contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana. Previous studies have partly and consistently attributed the low prevalence of contraceptive use to partner opposition. However, little is known about the influence of men in contraceptive related choices of their partners, particularly within the context of urban poverty.