Contraceptive supply and fertility outcomes: evidence from Ghana

Abstract

Total fertility rates in Sub-Saharan Africa are nearly double that of any other region in the world. Evidence is mixed on whether providing contraceptives has an impact on fertility. I exploit exogenous, intermittent reductions in contraceptive supply in Ghana, resulting from cuts in U.S. funding, to examine impacts on pregnancy, abortion, and births. Women are unable to fully compensate for the 22% supply reduction using traditional methods for preventing pregnancy, which increases by 10%. Only non-poor women offset these unwanted pregnancies with induced abortion. Using separate data, I find that poor women experience increases in realized fertility of 7-10%