Fertility Preferences and Family Planning Intentions among Kenyan Women: The Influence of Pregnancy and Childbirth Experiences

Andreea A. Creanga, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Emory University
George Awino Odhiambo, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Benjamin Odera, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Meghna Desai, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Mary M. Goodwin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Kayla Laserson, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Howard Goldberg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The study examines the influence of pregnancy and childbirth experiences on women’s reports of fertility preferences and family planning (FP) intentions. We used data collected between January 2012-April 2013 from a cohort of pregnant women in Nyanza Province, Kenya. The study is on-going; this analysis is restricted to 575 women with completed baseline (early pregnancy) and endline (1-6 weeks postpartum) questionnaires. We observed a greater degree of agreement between baseline and endline reports of fertility preferences (kappa=0.65) than reports of FP intentions (kappa=0.56). Reports at 1-6 weeks postpartum than early during pregnancy showed that fewer women intended to limit and more wanted to space childbearing for >2 years; consequently, more women intended to use injectables or LARC, and fewer intended to use other modern methods or be sterilized. Findings demonstrate the importance of assessing women’s experiences with pregnancy complications and childbirth to inform postpartum FP counseling and specific method choices.