Bangladesh has experienced a substantial decline in fertility that has been
achieved by means of a large increase in the use of modern methods of cont
raception. As contraceptive prevalence increases, aspects of contraceptive-
use dynamics, including reasons for discontinuation and behavior after disc
ontinuation, become important influences on fertility. This report uses cal
endar data from the 1993-94 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey to exa
mine contraceptive behavior following discontinuation of modern-method use.
The individual-level characteristics found to influence switching behavior
include the method used, method-related difficulties with previous contrac
eptive use, and education. A large amount of unexplained variation in switc
hing rates remains, however, largely at the individual level, but also at t
he community level for certain types of transition.