IUD discontinuation patterns and correlates in four counties in north China

This study presents an in-depth analysis of IUD discontinuation patterns and correlates in four counties in North China for the years following the introduction of provincial family planning regulations and the family planning target responsibility system. It is based on contraceptive-use data from 8,630 rural married women younger than 35. The gross IUD discontinuation rate was low among women with one child. The pattern of discontinuation was determined mainly by individual demographic profile and institutional variables. IUD users with two or more children tended to undergo sterilization after the introduction of the regulations of the late 1980s. These counties appear to have been successful in shaping couples' contraceptive behavior, but at the expense of individual choice. The effect of introducing copper IUDs may be smaller than expected unless providers' training is substantially improved and couples' fertility preferences altered.