No Access to Morning After Pills precipitates unintended Pregnancies among learners in rural Zimbabwe

To gain deeper understanding of the experience of adolescent girls who experienced unwanted pregnancy because of shortage of EC, barriers to access to EC, and what it means to be pregnant without access to EC in rural Zimbabwe, a qualitative study was conducted. This study seeks to address the research gap which is the lack of empirical qualitative evidence on the specific barriers to access to EC and how these barriers contribute to adolescent pregnancy in rural Zimbabwean settings. Through focus group discussions, 15 participants (6 learners, 2 counsellors, 2 teachers, 4 parents and 1 Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of Primary and Secondary Education official) who were purposively sampled provided data that was thematically analysed and informed consent and confidentiality were assumed. An important discovery focused on whether people could access morning after pills, which was found to be a function of geographical location of health facilities, cost, lack of knowledge about the service, and fear of stigma from health providers, and which ultimately led to preventable pregnancies and educational and psychological outcomes. It is suggested to implement ECPs in the community and conduct awareness campaigns to enhance access and overcome the stigma.

Keywords: adolescent pregnancy, emergency contraception, morning-after pill, rural access, Zimbabwe