Conhecimentos e práticas de anticoncepção em pacientes com Diabetes melitus em idade fértil

Abstract

The gestational period in women with diabetes carries some risks as hyperglycemia can lead to maternal and fetal complications. Therefore, family planning leading to pregnancy at a time when diabetes is better controlled would be ideal and, for such planning, knowledge about adequate contraception is essential. However, the literature shows that many women with diabetes do not plan their pregnancies, and to understand what leads to this low level of planning, we carried out this study. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practices of contraception and family planning of women with Diabetes Mellitus of childbearing age, in addition to evaluating knowledge about diabetes control and preconception care planning, considering professional guidance and health education. This research consisted of a cross-sectional study, with a quantitative approach, with data collection through questionnaires applied to 52 women with diabetes treated at the Centro Integrado de Diabetes e Hipertensão of the State of Ceará. Regarding diabetes control, only 15% of women knew the target of HbA1c below 6.5% as a control objective, with the group of women with higher education having greater knowledge (44%), and 62% did not know that should have their diabetes controlled to reduce the risk of pregnancy. Although 80% of women had professional guidance regarding the appropriate time to get pregnant, only 53% tried to compensate for their diabetes to get pregnant. A smaller number was planning a pregnancy, totaling 38% of women. We observed that the groups with the highest proportion of planned pregnancies were women with type 2 diabetes (65%) and those with a higher level of education (77.8%). The difference between knowledge about contraceptive methods and their effective use was a significant finding (p=0.002), suggesting low access to safe and long-lasting contraceptives. The results showed women's low level of knowledge about diabetes care in the peri-pregnancy context, as well as about adequate glycemic control goals, even with guidance from the health team. Therefore, we can conclude that despite knowledge about the risk of diabetes during pregnancy, planning and contraception was insufficient, showing the importance of improving communication and changing the type of approach, with the aim of raising awareness, in addition to the need to expand access to safe and effective methods for this group of patients.