Postpartum family planning education during prenatal care: a cross-sectional study using descriptive statistics in Barrero, Dominican Republic.

INTRODUCTION: Barrero, Dominican Republic is a globally underrepresented area in research as no prior studies have been completed regarding women's health in this community. One important area of women's health is prenatal care as education is delivered to women that can impact the rest of their lives. The goal of this research project was to describe postpartum family planning information received during prenatal care for women in Barrero, Dominican Republic and create a database for this community regarding the prenatal care experience. METHODS: A cross-sectional study consisting of a 28-question subset was administered in Barrero, a semi-rural, semi-urban community. 121 mothers, aged 18-50, with children 0-12 years old living in Barrero were surveyed in February 2025. Descriptive rates were reported as frequency (%). RESULTS: Of the 216 pregnancies reported by 121 surveyed mothers, a postpartum family planning discussion occurred for 82% of women during prenatal care. Notably, of 92 women using contraception at the time of survey administration, 43.5% utilized tubal ligation as their primary method to avoid pregnancy. Other methods reported included oral contraception (21.7%), arm implant (17.4%), injections (15.2%), and only 1.1% reported using condoms. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive knowledge regarding contraception options is essential for women to make a personalized family planning decision. Future research projects should investigate if causal relationship exists between postpartum family planning education discussions and future contraception utilization. These projects could then shape provider education regarding postpartum family planning conversations.