Relationship between sexual autonomy and modern contraceptive usage among women of reproductive age in Pakistan: An analysis from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18

Background:Modern contraceptives are the methods to prevent pregnancy and include medications, devices including IUDs, Oral pills and patches. The use of modern contraceptives improves reproductive health and family planning, as it helps to reduce maternal mortality and reproductive health. Contraceptive prevalence is Pakistan is low, efforts have been made but the utilization is still low. Different factors have contributed in this; in this study sexual autonomy’s relationship with modern contraceptives have been done. Sexual autonomy, defined as choice to make independent decisions about sexual and reproductive health. Methods: Cross sectional study was performed by using a data from 8287 women aged 15-49 from PDHS who had given birth within the previous five years. Women's sexual autonomy was judged by their ability to decline intercourse and request that their partners use condoms. Regression models were used to analyse the relationship between sexual autonomy and modern contraception use, correcting for numerous socio-demographic parameters such as age, region, education, wealth status, and urban/rural location Results: The result showed women who had sexual autonomy are more likely to use modern contraceptive, 38.6% of the Pakistani women are sexually autonomous. Additionally, factors such as higher education, urban residence, and greater wealth were positively associated with contraceptive use, while traditional cultural norms and limited access to family planning information posed barriers. Conclusion: Enhancing women's sexual autonomy could lead to increased utilization of modern contraceptives in Pakistan, thereby improving reproductive health outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of empowering women through education and targeted policy interventions to promote sexual autonomy and expand access to family planning services. Keywords: Sexual autonomy, Modern contraceptives, Reproductive health, Pakistan, PDHS