Perception and Use of Contraceptives Amongst Couples in Cameroon: An Anthropological Qualitative Approach in Urban and Semi-Urban Contexts of Yaoundé
Keywords:
Contraceptives; Couple; Side Effects; Gender; Perception; Cultural Norms
Abstract
Reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa, including Cameroon, faces challenges from high fertility rates, unintended pregnancies, and modest modern contraceptive prevalence despite near-universal awareness. This qualitative anthropological study explores perceptions and practices of contraceptive use among couples in urban and semi-urban Yaoundé, Cameroon. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with diverse informants (predominantly women, aged 24-50, varying in marital status, profession, religion, and education) conducted in November 2025, the research employs thematic analysis to examine knowledge, side effects, couple communication, religious/cultural influences, and decision-making. Findings reveal high awareness of modern methods (e.g., pills, condoms, emergency contraception) but selective, intermittent use hindered by experiential side effects (e.g., irregular bleeding, perceived bodily rejection), fears of infertility, and socio-cultural reservations. While benefits like birth spacing and maternal health are acknowledged, barriers include gender asymmetries in responsibility and nuanced religious interpretations. Grounded in medical anthropology (Helman, 2007), socio-cultural critiques (Fassin, 2010), and gender/power dynamics (Blanc, 2001; Giddens, 2009), the study highlights couple communication as a facilitator and advocates for context-sensitive interventions that are couple-centered counseling, side-effect management, and religious engagement to bridge the knowledge-use gap. These insights inform policies toward Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 5 in Cameroon's evolving urban reproductive landscape.
References
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Agadjanian, V., & Hayford, S. R. (2009). Men, women, and contraceptive decision-making in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review of empirical evidence. Studies in Family Planning, 40(3), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2009.00199.x
Bahamondes, L., Brache, V., Meirik, O., Ali, M., Habib, N., & Landoulsi, S. (2014). A 3-year multicentre randomized controlled trial of etonogestrel- and levonorgestrel-releasing contraceptive implants, with non-randomized matched copper IUD controls. Human Reproduction, 30(11), 2527–2538. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dev234
Barnhart, K. T., & Schreiber, C. A. (2009). Return to fertility following discontinuation of oral contraceptives. Fertility and Sterility, 91(3), 659–663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.01.003
Bearak, J., Popinchalk, A., Ganatra, B., Moller, A. B., Tunçalp, Ö., Beavin, C., Kwok, L., & Alkema, L. (2020). Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: Estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019. The Lancet Global Health, 8(9), e1152–e1161. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30315-6
Blanc, A. K. (2001). The effect of power in sexual relationships on sexual and reproductive health: An examination of the evidence. Studies in Family Planning, 32(3), 189–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2001.00189.x
Bongaarts, J. (2014). Population growth and the demographic transition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1645), Article 20130364. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0364
Bongaarts, J. (2016). Development: Slow down population growth. Nature, 530(7591), 409–412. https://doi.org/10.1038/530409a
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cleland, J., Ali, M. M., Benova, L., & Daniele, M. (2012). Contraception and health outcomes: A review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries. Reproductive Health Matters, 20(39), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-8080(12)39600-0
Diedrich, J. T., Madden, T., Zhao, Q., & Peipert, J. F. (2015). Long-term utilization and continuation of intrauterine devices. Contraception, 91(3), 216–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2014.11.004
Family Planning 2030 (FP2030). (2024). Cameroon 2024 indicator summary sheet: 2024 measurement report. https://fp2030.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Cameroon-2024-Indicator-Summary-Sheet.pdf
Fassin, D. (2010). La raison humanitaire: Une histoire morale du temps présent. Gallimard/Seuil.
Frank-Herrmann, P., Heil, J., Gnoth, C., Toledo, E., Baur, S., Pyper, C., Jenetzky, E., Strowitzki, T., & Freundl, G. (2007). The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple's sexual behaviour during the fertile time: A prospective longitudinal study. Human Reproduction, 22(5), 1310–1319. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dem003
Gallo, M. F., Lopez, L. M., Grimes, D. A., Carayon, F., Schulz, K. F., & Helmerhorst, F. M. (2014). Combination contraceptives: Effects on weight. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014(1), CD003987. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003987.pub5
Giddens, A. (2009). Sociology (6th ed.). Polity Press.
Glasier, A. (2010). Contraception. In D. T. Baird, R. Glasier, & D. W. Sturdee (Eds.), Reproductive medicine for the MRCOG and beyond (2nd ed., pp. 117–140). Cambridge University Press.
Helman, C. G. (2007). Culture, health and illness (5th ed.). Hodder Arnold.
Hubacher, D., Mavranezouli, I., & McGinn, E. (2008). Unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: Magnitude of the problem and potential role of contraceptive implants to alleviate it. Contraception, 78(1), 73–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2008.03.002
Institut National de la Statistique (INS) & ICF. (2020). Enquête démographique et de santé du Cameroun 2018. INS and ICF.
Jaffré, Y., & Suh, S. (2016). Where the lay and the technical meet: Using an anthropology of interfaces to explain persistent reproductive health disparities in West Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 156, 175–183.
Lopez, L. M., Edelman, A., Chen, M., Otterness, C., Trussell, J., & Helmerhorst, F. M. (2013). Progestin-only contraceptives: Effects on weight. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013(7), CD008815. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008815.pub3
Miller, W. B., Severy, L. J., & Pasta, D. J. (2019). A framework for modelling fertility motivation in couples. Population Studies, 58(2), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/0032472042000213712
Moreau, C., Cleland, K., & Trussell, J. (2012). Contraceptive discontinuation attributed to method dissatisfaction in the United States. Contraception, 85(6), 602–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2011.10.008
Nsashiyi, R. S., Tyndall, J. A., Abah, J. E., Achuo, M. M., Hasnain, S. S., & Williamson, J. (2024). Contraceptive use, unmet need, and demand satisfied for family planning across Cameroon: A subnational study including indirect effects of COVID-19 and armed conflict on projections. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article 257. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17796-5
Pantoja, M., Medeiros, T., Baccarin, M. C., Morais, S. S., Fernandes, A. M., & Bahamondes, L. (2010). Variations in body mass index of users of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate as a contraceptive. Contraception, 81(2), 107–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2009.08.004
Polis, C. B., Phillips, S. J., Curtis, K. M., Westreich, D. J., Steyn, P. S., Raymond, E., Hannaford, P., & Heikinheimo, O. (2016). Hormonal contraceptive methods and risk of HIV acquisition in women: A systematic review of epidemiological evidence. Contraception, 93(4), 276–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2015.11.009
Pope, C., & Mays, N. (2020). Qualitative research in health care (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Pyper, C. M. M., & Knight, J. (2001). Fertility awareness methods of family planning: The physiological background, methodology and effectiveness of fertility awareness methods. Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 27(2), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.1783/147118901101196219
Sedgh, G., Bearak, J., Singh, S., Bankole, A., Popinchalk, A., Ganatra, B., Rossier, C., Gerdts, C., Tunçalp, Ö., Johnson, B. R., Johnston, H. B., & Alkema, L. (2016). Abortion incidence between 1990 and 2014: Global, regional, and subregional levels and trends. The Lancet, 388(10041), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30380-4
Sussman, G. L., Beezhold, D. H., & Kurup, V. P. (2002). Allergens and natural rubber proteins. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 110(2), S33–S39. https://doi.org/10.1067/mai.2002.124765
Trussell, J. (2011). Contraceptive failure in the United States. Contraception, 83(5), 397–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2011.01.021
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (2025). World population dashboard: Cameroon. https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population/CM
Wilcox, A. J., Weinberg, C. R., & Baird, D. D. (1995). Timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation. New England Journal of Medicine, 333(23), 1517–1521. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199512073332301
Wilcox, A. J., Dunson, D., & Baird, D. D. (2000). The timing of the 'fertile window' in the menstrual cycle: Day specific estimates from a prospective study. BMJ, 321(7271), 1259–1262. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7271.1259
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Family planning/contraception fact sheet. Geneva: WHO.
World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA), World Bank Group, & United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). (2023). Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2023: Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/
Agadjanian, V., & Hayford, S. R. (2009). Men, women, and contraceptive decision-making in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review of empirical evidence. Studies in Family Planning, 40(3), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2009.00199.x
Bahamondes, L., Brache, V., Meirik, O., Ali, M., Habib, N., & Landoulsi, S. (2014). A 3-year multicentre randomized controlled trial of etonogestrel- and levonorgestrel-releasing contraceptive implants, with non-randomized matched copper IUD controls. Human Reproduction, 30(11), 2527–2538. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dev234
Barnhart, K. T., & Schreiber, C. A. (2009). Return to fertility following discontinuation of oral contraceptives. Fertility and Sterility, 91(3), 659–663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.01.003
Bearak, J., Popinchalk, A., Ganatra, B., Moller, A. B., Tunçalp, Ö., Beavin, C., Kwok, L., & Alkema, L. (2020). Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: Estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019. The Lancet Global Health, 8(9), e1152–e1161. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30315-6
Blanc, A. K. (2001). The effect of power in sexual relationships on sexual and reproductive health: An examination of the evidence. Studies in Family Planning, 32(3), 189–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2001.00189.x
Bongaarts, J. (2014). Population growth and the demographic transition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1645), Article 20130364. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0364
Bongaarts, J. (2016). Development: Slow down population growth. Nature, 530(7591), 409–412. https://doi.org/10.1038/530409a
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cleland, J., Ali, M. M., Benova, L., & Daniele, M. (2012). Contraception and health outcomes: A review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries. Reproductive Health Matters, 20(39), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-8080(12)39600-0
Diedrich, J. T., Madden, T., Zhao, Q., & Peipert, J. F. (2015). Long-term utilization and continuation of intrauterine devices. Contraception, 91(3), 216–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2014.11.004
Family Planning 2030 (FP2030). (2024). Cameroon 2024 indicator summary sheet: 2024 measurement report. https://fp2030.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Cameroon-2024-Indicator-Summary-Sheet.pdf
Fassin, D. (2010). La raison humanitaire: Une histoire morale du temps présent. Gallimard/Seuil.
Frank-Herrmann, P., Heil, J., Gnoth, C., Toledo, E., Baur, S., Pyper, C., Jenetzky, E., Strowitzki, T., & Freundl, G. (2007). The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple's sexual behaviour during the fertile time: A prospective longitudinal study. Human Reproduction, 22(5), 1310–1319. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dem003
Gallo, M. F., Lopez, L. M., Grimes, D. A., Carayon, F., Schulz, K. F., & Helmerhorst, F. M. (2014). Combination contraceptives: Effects on weight. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014(1), CD003987. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003987.pub5
Giddens, A. (2009). Sociology (6th ed.). Polity Press.
Glasier, A. (2010). Contraception. In D. T. Baird, R. Glasier, & D. W. Sturdee (Eds.), Reproductive medicine for the MRCOG and beyond (2nd ed., pp. 117–140). Cambridge University Press.
Helman, C. G. (2007). Culture, health and illness (5th ed.). Hodder Arnold.
Hubacher, D., Mavranezouli, I., & McGinn, E. (2008). Unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: Magnitude of the problem and potential role of contraceptive implants to alleviate it. Contraception, 78(1), 73–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2008.03.002
Institut National de la Statistique (INS) & ICF. (2020). Enquête démographique et de santé du Cameroun 2018. INS and ICF.
Jaffré, Y., & Suh, S. (2016). Where the lay and the technical meet: Using an anthropology of interfaces to explain persistent reproductive health disparities in West Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 156, 175–183.
Lopez, L. M., Edelman, A., Chen, M., Otterness, C., Trussell, J., & Helmerhorst, F. M. (2013). Progestin-only contraceptives: Effects on weight. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013(7), CD008815. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008815.pub3
Miller, W. B., Severy, L. J., & Pasta, D. J. (2019). A framework for modelling fertility motivation in couples. Population Studies, 58(2), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/0032472042000213712
Moreau, C., Cleland, K., & Trussell, J. (2012). Contraceptive discontinuation attributed to method dissatisfaction in the United States. Contraception, 85(6), 602–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2011.10.008
Nsashiyi, R. S., Tyndall, J. A., Abah, J. E., Achuo, M. M., Hasnain, S. S., & Williamson, J. (2024). Contraceptive use, unmet need, and demand satisfied for family planning across Cameroon: A subnational study including indirect effects of COVID-19 and armed conflict on projections. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article 257. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17796-5
Pantoja, M., Medeiros, T., Baccarin, M. C., Morais, S. S., Fernandes, A. M., & Bahamondes, L. (2010). Variations in body mass index of users of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate as a contraceptive. Contraception, 81(2), 107–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2009.08.004
Polis, C. B., Phillips, S. J., Curtis, K. M., Westreich, D. J., Steyn, P. S., Raymond, E., Hannaford, P., & Heikinheimo, O. (2016). Hormonal contraceptive methods and risk of HIV acquisition in women: A systematic review of epidemiological evidence. Contraception, 93(4), 276–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2015.11.009
Pope, C., & Mays, N. (2020). Qualitative research in health care (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Pyper, C. M. M., & Knight, J. (2001). Fertility awareness methods of family planning: The physiological background, methodology and effectiveness of fertility awareness methods. Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 27(2), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.1783/147118901101196219
Sedgh, G., Bearak, J., Singh, S., Bankole, A., Popinchalk, A., Ganatra, B., Rossier, C., Gerdts, C., Tunçalp, Ö., Johnson, B. R., Johnston, H. B., & Alkema, L. (2016). Abortion incidence between 1990 and 2014: Global, regional, and subregional levels and trends. The Lancet, 388(10041), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30380-4
Sussman, G. L., Beezhold, D. H., & Kurup, V. P. (2002). Allergens and natural rubber proteins. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 110(2), S33–S39. https://doi.org/10.1067/mai.2002.124765
Trussell, J. (2011). Contraceptive failure in the United States. Contraception, 83(5), 397–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2011.01.021
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (2025). World population dashboard: Cameroon. https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population/CM
Wilcox, A. J., Weinberg, C. R., & Baird, D. D. (1995). Timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation. New England Journal of Medicine, 333(23), 1517–1521. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199512073332301
Wilcox, A. J., Dunson, D., & Baird, D. D. (2000). The timing of the 'fertile window' in the menstrual cycle: Day specific estimates from a prospective study. BMJ, 321(7271), 1259–1262. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7271.1259
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Family planning/contraception fact sheet. Geneva: WHO.
World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA), World Bank Group, & United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). (2023). Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2023: Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/
Published
2026-04-27
How to Cite
Evans Ngha, K. (2026). Perception and Use of Contraceptives Amongst Couples in Cameroon: An Anthropological Qualitative Approach in Urban and Semi-Urban Contexts of Yaoundé. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 9(5), 253-267. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v9i5.3404
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