THE EFFECT OF CONTRACEPTION ON FERTILITY IN THE BORDER REGION OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Objective. To estimate the effect of contraception on fertility in the border region of Chiapas, Mexico. Materials and methods, In 1994 an e pidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out on a representati ve sample of 1 560 non-indigenous women between ages 15 and 49 in the border region of Chiapas. The prevalence of contraception practices an d the total fertility rates (TFR) were obtained and stratified by rura l, intermediate and urban communities. TFR were compared between women who had never used contraceptives and those who had used them. Result s. The estimated TFR was 3.67 and varied from 4.14 in rural areas to 3 .36 in urban areas. There were no differences in the TFR (3.74 and 3.8 8) nor in the average live births (3.47 and 3.48) between women who ha d never used contraceptives and those who had used them. Conclusions, The major effect of contraception on fertility was observed in rural a reas. Factors which influence the small impact of contraception on fer tility include the late use of these methods and the early age of firs t union among users.