Contraceptive method change among rural Sri Lankan women

SummaryPatterns of contraceptive method change and their association with reproductive motivation and contraceptive failure are examined using data from a 1986 survey of family planning behaviour of rural Sinhalese married women aged 15–44 in seventeen districts of Sri Lanka. A notable degree of rationality in contraceptive method changes occurs with family formation. The attempt to control unwanted fertility leads to more efficacious use of contraception, including traditional methods. Some methodological improvements to the analysis of contraceptive switching are indicated. Implications of the findings for programmatic emphasis on permanent versus non-permanent modern methods are discussed.