Contraceptive use and fertility in Costa Rica, 1986

Contraceptive prevalence in Costa Rica is higher than almost anywhere else in Latin America, with 70 percent of currently married women using a contraceptive method. Differentials in contraceptive use by educational level and between urban and rural areas are actually quite small compared with those in other Latin American countries. While levels of contraceptive use among married women 20-44 years of age remained relatively stable between 1976 and 1986, total fertility rates increased slightly over that period, perhaps because of changing fertility intentions or changing patterns of contraceptive use. For example, Costa Rican women have increased their reliance on barrier methods and decreased use of the pill. The majority of women who were not practicing contraception were either pregnant or breastfeeding an infant; only about one in five nonusers could be considered candidates for contraceptive use. One-fifth of all 15-19-year-old women and two-fifths of all 20-24-year-olds had had premarital intercourse. Most young adults who had had prematiral intercourse did not practice contraception at first intercourse.