Exploring experiences regarding contraception practices among married men in a rural area of West Bengal: A qualitative study

Abstract

Objective: To explore the experiences of contraceptive use, reasons for discontinuation, and future intent to use modern contraceptives among married men in West Bengal, India.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted among married men (n=10), aged 18 to 50 years by in-depth face-to-face interviews using a predesigned interview guide. The results were transcribed, coded and analysed recognising major themes.

Results: The study identified the following themes as a rationale for men’s limited involvement in contraception: insufficient knowledge and education about contraception, cultural and religious barriers, misconceptions, economic hardships, gender-based disparities, and a shortage of male healthcare workers, along with a reluctance to seek help. Limited overall awareness about the specific role of men in reproductive health was also believed to hinder men’s meaningful involvement in fertility regulation issues.

Conclusions: Several challenges are identified among married males related to effective contraception use and the findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive education, culturally sensitive strategies, and improving access and affordability of contraceptives to overcome such barriers. These steps are essential for enabling informed reproductive health decisions and improving reproductive health outcomes.

Keywords

Eastern India / Family planning / Male partner / Modern contraceptives / Reproductive health / Role

Acknowledgement

The authors sincerely acknowledge the technical support provided by the Director and Dean of the Institute of Public Health, Kalyani throughout the study.

Funding

The study receives no extramural funding.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Authors’ contributions

Anil Karmakar contributed to concept, methodology, acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and draft. Jayita Pal performed methodology, analysis, interpretation, review, and supervision. Rakhi Saha contributed to analysis, manuscript writing, and editing. Sankalpa Satapathy contributed to methodology, analysis, interpretation, review, and editing. Manoj Ghosh contributed to methodology, analysis, interpretation, and editing.

Publisher’s Note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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