Family planning in Vietnam--women's experiences and dilemma: a community study from the Red River Delta.

In traditional Vietnamese culture the expectations on women were to get at least one son, who could carry on the lineage. In the 1980s, a two-child population policy was introduced and family planning campaigns intensified. The aim of this study was to explore women's experience of family planning in relation to the potentially conflicting demands on their fertility. Data on reproductive histories and contraceptive use were collected in a random sample survey among 206 women of reproductive age in Thai Binh province, northern Vietnam. Qualitative data were obtained in interviews with a selected group of women. Over half of the women used modern contraception, mainly the intrauterine device (IUD). The perceived side-effects of the IUD were higher than those reported by local health workers or from clinical studies of the same IUD. Women's problems in fertility regulation are discussed in the broader context of a society in transition. The importance of male progeny was still strong. Many families with 'only' daughters had a third child, contrary to the two-child policy. It is suggested that conflicting demands on women's fertility are reflected in the high rates of IUD-complaint and psychosomatic side-effects. Improved services and wider contraceptive choice are needed, as well as research on the interaction between population policies, sociocultural change and women's health.