Polygamy and the use of contraceptives

Objectives: To compare contraceptive use among women in monogamous and polygamous marriages in Nigeria. Methods: Structured questionnaires administered to married women enquired about their marriage type, sociodemographic characteristics, and contraceptive use. Results: Of the 532 respondents, 33.6% were in polygamous marriages. There was a statistically significant association between monogamy and nonutilization of contraception (P=0.03); however, women in polygamous marriages were more likely not to use contraception when they were older than 35 years, had 4 or more living children, had no mate child, had 3 or more female children, or lived in rural areas. There was also a statistically significant association between nonutilization of contraception and number of mate children of co-wives (P=0.003), number of female children of co-wives (P=0.05), and use of contraception by co-wives (P=0.002). Conclusion: Polygamy influences contraceptive use and the role of co-wives in this regard merits further study. (C) 2007 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.