Awareness of Correct Using and Side Effects of Levonorgestrel Tablets among Women Referring to the Health Centers of Sabzevar (2008)

Background and Using levonorgestrel tablet is one of EC methods that could be effective until 72 hours after sexual intercourse. Therefore, the present study was intended to investigate the women’s awareness about correct use and side-effects of this tablet. Methods and Materials: In this descriptive analytical study, women referring to heath centers of Sabzevar were selected through cluster sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire including specific demographic characteristics and the participants’ awareness about correct using and side effects of levonorgestrel tablet. The reliability of the questionnaire was checked with cronbach alpha (=α0.716), and its validity was controlled by expert. The sample size was 396 persons. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive and analytical statistics (independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient). Among women studied, 29.8% had used the tablet, and the average score of awareness in correct using of tablet on the basis of 100 was 46.1 34.5, while the average score of knowing the tablet's side effects on the basis of 100 was only 22.39 28.92. A negative correlation was found between the correct using score and age (p=0.029, r=-0.11). The findings revealed that the average awareness score of correct using and side-effects of the tablet are low.