A Study of the Impact of Structured Counselling in Women’s Selection of Postpartum Contraception in Rural Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction: Women’s reproductive rights, including control over childbearing, are vital for empowerment. Postpartum family planning (PPFP) is essential, as many women want to avoid pregnancy but lack contraception. Effective counselling during the postpartum period can reduce maternal and child mortality and address unmet family planning needs, particularly in rural areas. Methods: This cross-sectional interventional study at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College assessed contraceptive counselling for women aged 18-40 during pregnancy and postpartum. Inclusion criteria focused on antenatal and immediate postpartum women, while ethical counselling addressed efficacy, misconceptions, and side effects. Follow-ups evaluated compliance one month after method initiation Results: Counselling sessions were beneficial for 96.36% of participants, leading 95% to choose a contraceptive method. Pre-counselling, 23.76% were undecided; post-counselling, this dropped to 4.96%. Notably, acceptance of the Copper T and DMPA injections increased. The calendar method usage decreased significantly by 66.6%. Reasons for selecting methods included ease of use (56.94%), reduced need for frequent visits (22.91%), and avoidance of hormones (6.25%). These findings highlight the positive impact of counselling on women's contraceptive decision-making and method acceptance. Conclusion: We concluded from our study that effective structured family planning counselling is one of the cornerstones for increasing contraceptive acceptance and use during the post-partum period.