Uptake of postpartum modern family planning and its associated factors among postpartum women in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and factors associated with postpartum modern contraceptive use in Ethiopia. Design: Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Method: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Hinari, Google Scholar, direct Google search, African Journal Online (AJOL), an online repository, and gray kinds of literature were used for searching. This meta-analysis included eighteen cross-sectional studies. The quality appraisal criterion of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) was employed to critically appraise papers. The I2 statistics were used to test heterogeneity and subgroup analysis was computed with the evidence of heterogeneity. The Egger test with funnel plot was used to investigate publication bias. The "generate" command in STATA was used to calculate the logarithm and standard error of the odds ratio (OR) for each included study. Then odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was presented. Result: Eighteen studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of modern postpartum family planning utilization among postnatal women in Ethiopia was 45.44% (95%CI: 31.47, 59.42). Prenatal family planning counseling (AOR = 3.80; 95%CI: 2.70, 5.34), postnatal care utilization (AOR = 3.07; 95%CI: 1.39, 6.77), spouse communication on family planning (AOR = 1.86; 95%CI:1.36,2.54), resumption of menses (AOR = 4.20; 95%CI: 2.95, 5.99), and resumption of sexual activity (AOR = 3.98; 95%CI: 2.34, 6.79) were associated factors to uptake modern postpartum family planning among postnatal women. Conclusion: The pooled prevalence of postpartum modern contraceptive use was low. The most common factors significantly associated with postpartum modern contraceptive use were prenatal family planning counseling, postnatal care utilization, spouse communication on family planning, resumption of menses, and resumption of sexual activity were the commonest factors significantly associated with postpartum modern contraceptive use.