Discontinuation of Implants and associated factors among women in health facilities of Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Background: Discontinuation of Implants is the removal or switch to other methods before completion of duration due to any reason. This exposes a woman to unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and unplanned births that affect millions of women worldwide. Inspite of the improvement in availability and utilization of Implants, discontinuation is becoming high. There is limited study conducted on implants discontinuation and factors in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia. Objective The purpose of this research was to evaluate the proportion and explanatory variables of discontinuation of implants among users in selected health facilities of Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia, from April 1 to May 30/ 2021. Methods Health facility based cross-sectional design was conducted on 415 respondents. Data were collected through face-to-face interview questionnaires using a systematic random sampling method. Epi Data version 3.1 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences were used to data entry and formal analysis respectively. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyzes were used. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered a statistically significant factor for discontinuation. Results The overall proportion of discontinuation of implants was 55.3% (95% CI: 61.42–69.13). Have no formal education (AOR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.30–0.82), have primary education (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.18–0.81), wish to become pregnant in the near future (AOR = 2.57; 95% CI: 1.64) to 4.02), no history of contraceptive use (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.19 to 3.38), no counselling on benefit (AOR = 1.68; 95% CI: 1.08–2.62) and Side effects (AOR = 1.95; 95 CI: 1.21–3.16) were the factors associated with implant discontinuation. Conclusion The overall discontinuation of Implants among women was low compared to Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey 2016. Education, desire of pregnancy in the near future, no past history of contraceptive utilization, lack of counseling about the benefits, and side effects were factors for discontinuation. Hence health professionals should give adequate counseling, manage side effects and reassure women for any issues related with Implants.