More than half of the married women or cohabiting women use methods of contraception. The modern methods are more popular than the traditional ones. Unmarried women use contraception less, in proportion of 36%, according to the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) conducted by UNFPA Moldova, IPN reports.
The condom is placed second among the most common types of contraception used by all the couples, married, unmarried or cohabiting, regardless of the age group. The intrauterine device is another popular modern method of contraception. This is used by 10% of the married or cohabiting women. The unmarried women use this device less. About 5% of the married and cohabiting women use the contraceptive pill, primarily those aged between 20 and 24 and between 25 and 29.
About 13% of the married and cohabiting women use traditional contraception methods, such as the withdrawal method (11.2%). Less than 2% of women resort to periodical abstinence, less than 1% to vaginal methods such as diaphragm/foam/jelly, less than 1% - injectable solutions.
Male sterilization is not yet popular among the men in the Republic of Moldova, while the contraceptive implant hasn’t yet reached the domestic market.
Urban women use modern contraception methods more often than those from rural areas. The intrauterine device is popular both with urban and rural married or cohabiting women. The interrupted intercourse remains a traditional method used by 11% of the women from both of the environments.
There is interdependence between the level of education and the use of contraception. The higher is the education level of women, the higher is the contraceptive prevalence rate. This rate reaches 64.3% in the case of women with higher education. The occupational status plays a decisive role in the use of contraception. This reality is confirmed by the fact that the highest contraceptive prevalence rate is among salaried women – 58%, as opposed to unemployed women – 48.2%.
The survey covered a sample of over 10,000 persons from 153 localities. As part of the study, there was assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reproductive intentions and behavior in the Republic of Moldova. The results show the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced access to family planning and contraception.
