Evaluation of family planning services: A district example in İstanbul

Aim: The aim of family planning services is to provide individuals with the information and support they need to make informed, safe, and healthy reproductive decisions. Furthermore, it provides women with the option to space out their pregnancies and offers protection from unplanned pregnancies. It is thought that family planning services could play a role in protecting maternal and child health, as well as improving the overall health level of society. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the family planning services provided to applicants at the Maternal Child Health and Family Planning (MCHFP) Centre in a district of İstanbul between 2018 and 2020. Methods: The study population comprised individuals who had applied to the Eyüpsultan MCHFP Centre between 2018 and 2020. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to retrospectively analyze the data of 1,444 individuals. Results: The study group had an average age of 33.95 years, with 45.2% of participants having completed primary education or below. It may be of interest to note that among the women who applied, 46.2% were in the age group of 35 years and above. It is worth noting that a significant proportion of the women who applied, namely 75.9%, were seeking to use a family planning method for the first time. It would seem that the age groups 29-34 and 35-40 saw the highest number of applications. It is notable that a relatively high proportion of women (49.4%) had not used any family planning method in the previous three months, compared to those who had employed other methods. It would seem that the intrauterine device is the most preferred family planning method across all age groups and education levels (p