NON-MATERNITY AND THE OPTION FOR THE VOLUNTARY SURGICAL STERILIZATION: Narratives of SUS users

Abstract

With the modification in women's social roles, motherhood has become an option and no longer something mandatory or a dream for all women, and there is a growing search for effective contraceptive methods capable of avoiding unwanted pregnancies, such as voluntary surgical sterilization (VSS). This qualitative, exploratory-descriptive, and cross-sectional study aimed to understand the experiences, motivations, and trajectories of single women who opt for non-maternity through voluntary surgical sterilization in the Unified Health System (SUS). Five women with an average age of 27.8 years who are currently undergoing family planning or have already undergone VSS participated in the research. The participants responded to a socio-demographic and health data questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, understood through thematic analysis. The results highlighted four themes: Perceptions about “being a mother” and “being a father”; Life today; Non-motherhood as a possibility of being; and Surgical sterilization: freedom versus obstacles. It is clear that the choice for non-maternity is multicausal and complex, as is the option for VSS, involving aspects of each woman’s life story. Furthermore are several obstacles within the scope of the SUS for women who seek the method, proving necessary for the qualification of professionals in these services and knowledge about family planning legislation.