April 2022 · Volume 11 · Issue 4 Page 1054 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Abdelkarim M et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Apr;11(4):1054-1061 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article Contraception use among Muslim women in Alexandria, Egypt: a descriptive pilot study Maryam Abdelkarim 1 *, Asmaa Namoos 2 , Assem M. Khamis 3 , Salma Zook 4 , Norhan Bader 5 , NourEldin Abosamak 4 , Dina Ramadan 4 , Rana Ramadan 4 , Mostafa Abdou 4 , Ola Faried 4 , Abd El-Moneim A. Fawzy 4 , Tamas S. Gal 2 INTRODUCTION Egypt started implementing a family planning program in 1965 to reduce the wide demographic gap due to declining mortality rates and a consistently high birth rate. 1 Even though Egypt's fertility rate and annual population growth rate have significantly decreased over time, the United Nations population division estimated Egypt’s average DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20220883 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alexandria University, Egypt 2 Department of Social and health Scineces, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA 3 Hull York Medical School, York, United Kingdom 4 Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt 5 American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon Received: 31 January 2022 Revised: 03 March 2022 Accepted: 04 March 2022 *Correspondence: Maryam Abdelkarim, E-mail: Abdelkarim0maryam@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: This pilot study aimed to create a questionnaire survey directed to understand knowledge gaps related to contraception among Muslim women in Alexandria, Egypt, so potential interventions could be designed to enable more informed decision-making. The project was a mixed-method, cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey. Methods: Participants were randomly selected at outpatient clinics at Alexandria university hospitals in September and October 2020. The inclusion criteria were to be an 18 year old or older woman and able to give consent. The recruitment goal for this pilot study was 100 participants. The consented participants were interviewed about demographics, socio- structural and contraception use. The questionnaire was tested using a focus group of 11 women. The study data was collected using KoBoToolbox and exported to the SPSS software for descriptive analysis. The primary outcome was to validate the survey questionnaire and the secondary outcome to assess knowledge regarding contraception methods and emergency contraception. Results: The age of study participants ranged from 18-60 with a mean of 34 years. Almost all participants had previously heard of various contraceptive methods and 75% used them before. The majority did not know about emergency contraception. Most respondents had a favorable attitude toward family planning, and their primary sources of information were family and friends. Conclusions: Preliminary findings show that most women knew about contraception methods, though few of them heard of emergency contraception. Because of the patriarchal nature of Egyptian society, family planning education should target the whole population. Keywords: Contraception, Emergency contraception, Family planning, Awareness