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PubMed2002

Attitudes of mothers toward their daughters' use of contraceptives in Israel.

The objective of the study was to examine mothers' knowledge about contraception, their attitudes to their daughters' use of contraception, and their communication with their daughters on the subject. A 20-item questionnaire was distributed in gynecological clinics throughout Israel for completion by women who had daughters over the age of 14 years. The questionnaire covered the mothers' demographic data, use of contraception, knowledge of contraception, attitude to their daughters' contraceptive use and sexual relationships, and communication with their daughters about contraception. Only 36% of the women received contraceptive information from physicians. Almost half felt their daughter should begin sexual relations when she felt she was ready; over two-thirds felt she should begin using contraception before or at the time of beginning sexual relations. Over three-quarters spoke with their daughters about contraception. Higher educational level of the mother was associated with high rate use of contraception by the mother, her support of earlier use of contraception by her daughter, a greater likelihood of her discussing contraception with her daughter, and a lesser likelihood to view contraceptives as dangerous to one's health. It is concluded that mothers of teenage daughters in Israel are involved in their daughters' decisions to begin sexual relations and the use of contraceptives. Their knowledge of contraception is adequate, although some gaps are still apparent. Clear correlation is found between higher educational level of the mothers and a more liberal attitude toward their daughters' sex life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

New Product Review (September 2003). Norelgestromin/ethinyl oestradiol transdermal contraceptive system (Evra).

This new transdermal contraceptive system (contraceptive patch), Evra (Janssen-Cilag), received a UK product licence in 2003. In clinical trials: Consistent doses of norelgestromin and ethinyl oestradiol are released into the systemic circulation daily. Pharmacokinetic data suggest that levels are sufficient to inhibit ovulation for at least 7 days. The overall Pearl index for the contraceptive patch (1.24; 95% CI 0.19-2.33) was similar to that of a triphasic combined oral contraceptive (COC) pill (2.18; 95% CI 0.57-3.8). Self-reported "perfect" compliance was significantly better with the contraceptive patch (88.2%) than with a combined contraceptive pill (77.7%). Patch detachment, requiring replacement with a new patch, with normal daily activity is uncommon (4.6%). Breakthrough bleeding and spotting were significantly more common with the contraceptive patch than with combined oral contraception in the first two cycles but differences were not significant by cycle three. In general, reported side effects were not significantly different with contraceptive patch or combined pill use. However, breast tenderness in the first two treatment cycles was more common with patch use. Symptoms were mild to moderate in 85% of women and were rarely treatment limiting. Currently, there are limited data regarding risk of venous thromboembolism, and cervical or breast cancer with the contraceptive patch. No clinically significant alterations in metabolic or haemostatic parameters were identified with contraceptive patch use. A month's supply of the contraceptive patch costs 7.74 UK pounds. Combined oral contraception prices range from approximately 0.80 to 5.00 UK pounds and hormone replacement therapy patches range from 10.00 to 13.00 UK pounds. The contraceptive patch offers additional choice for women who wish to use a combined hormonal method of contraception.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2005

Contraception: an international perspective.

Although it is estimated that the population growth rate will decline to a replacement level by 2050, it is also now predicted that the total world population will reach 8.9 billion in that year -- far higher than the 2004 estimate of 6.4 billion. More than 26 billion new couples will need contraceptives in the next half century. Although a steady increase in contraceptive use has been observed in both developed and developing countries, the contraceptive needs of a high percentage of couples have not yet been met and the number of unplanned pregnancies continues to increase. The actual use of contraception differs from region to region. Although no new method has been registered for many years, several new products have been marketed during the last 5. Among these are new implants, medicated intrauterine systems, contraceptive vaginal rings, transdermal patches and several new combined oral contraceptive formulations. New contraceptive methods have been developed to meet the objectives of expanding contraceptive choices for both women and men and answering an unmet need for contraceptives with a long-term action that meet the expectations of consumers. Simplicity, reversibility and effectiveness are the desired features of a male contraceptive, but no new male contraceptive method is yet available. New areas of basic research include studies on genes, proteins and enzymes involved in the reproductive system. The new methods will be targeted to specific interactions within the reproductive system at the level of ovaries and testes, as well as between spermatozoa and ova. This futuristic approach still keeps in mind the need for better access to existing contraceptive methods, as well as the discovery of new contraceptives that are simple to use, safe, reversible and inexpensive. In the future, contraceptives may be combined with other medicinal agents to provide dual protection against both pregnancy and other preventable conditions, such as sexually transmitted infections.

Contraception↗
PubMed1994

The contraceptive practices of women seeking termination of pregnancy in an Auckland clinic.

AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the contraceptive knowledge and practices of women attending the abortion service at Epsom day unit, Green Lane Hospital. METHODS: Women attending the unit in December 1992 and January 1993 were asked to take part in the study. A questionnaire was administered to consenting women to assess demographic details and previous contraceptive education. If a contraceptive method was used the reason for failure was explored and if no method was used the reason for non use was explored. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of women were using a contraceptive method in the month of conception. The condom was used by 48% and the pill by 42%. Eight percent of women had never used contraception and 30% were not using a method in the month of conception. Forty-three percent had a household income of less than $22,000 and financial barriers were the reason for non use in 32% of those not using a method. Of women who did not use contraception, only 11% used emergency contraception, whereas 78% of those surveyed said they knew about emergency contraception. Sixty-three percent of women said they had received enough contraceptive education to select and use a method effectively. Pacific Island women were least likely to have received adequate contraceptive education or to have been using a method of contraception. CONCLUSIONS: A number of technical problems were identified with condom use. These problems need to be emphasised by sexuality education programmes and contraceptive prescribers. Omitting pills, diarrhoea, vomiting and drug interactions were important causes of pill failure. The seven day rule needs more emphasis when teaching women how to take the pill and when antibiotics are prescribed. Costs were an important barrier to the use of contraception for a significant proportion of women. Section 99 approval should be utilised more readily and the provision of free contraception, especially to low income groups, needs to be urgently explored.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1998

The effects of self-administering emergency contraception.

BACKGROUND: Emergency postcoital contraception prevents pregnancy, but it must be prescribed by a doctor and taken within 72 hours of intercourse. It has been proposed that emergency contraception be made available without a prescription. We undertook a study to learn how women might behave if given a supply of emergency contraceptive pills to keep at home. METHODS: We assigned 553 women to be given a replaceable supply of hormonal emergency contraceptive pills to take home (the treatment group) and 530 women to use emergency contraception obtained by visiting a doctor (the control group). The frequency of use of emergency contraception, the use of other contraceptives, and the incidence of unwanted pregnancy were determined in both groups of women one year later. RESULTS: The results for 549 women in the treatment group and 522 women in the control group were available for analysis. Three hundred seventy-nine of the women in the treatment group (69 percent) and 326 of the women in the control group (62 percent) contributed detailed information at follow-up. One hundred eighty of the women in the treatment group (47 percent) used emergency contraception at least once. Among those who returned the study questionnaire, 98 percent used emergency contraception correctly. There were no serious adverse effects. Eighty-seven women in the control group (27 percent) used emergency contraception at least once (P<0.001 for the comparison with the treatment group). The women in the treatment group were not more likely to use emergency contraception repeatedly. Their use of other methods of contraception was no different from that of the women in the control group. There were 18 unintended pregnancies in the treatment group and 25 in the control group (relative risk, 0.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.4 to 1.2). CONCLUSIONS: Making emergency contraception more easily obtainable does no harm and may reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Sources of contraceptive commodities for users in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the sources of contraceptive commodities is an important aspect of the delivery of family planning services and is required by planning programme managers for strategic planning purposes. Findings from the 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey have previously showed that the private sector was the most frequently reported source of contraceptive supply, providing contraception to two and a half times as many women as the public sector. We conducted a community-based study to examine further the sources of contraceptive commodity for users in Nigeria with a view to identifying their preferences for distribution centres. This information would be useful to improve commodity distribution and to build the necessary capacity for satisfactory delivery of contraceptives. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A multi-stage random sampling technique was used. A state was randomly selected to represent each of the four health zones in Nigeria. Two local government areas (LGAs) were then selected representing both urban and rural areas. Ten enumeration areas were subsequently selected from each LGA. Of the 2,001 respondents aged 15-49 years, 1,647 (82.3%) were sexually active, out of which 244 were found to be using contraceptive methods at the time of the study, giving a contraceptive prevalence of 14.8%. The commonest source of information on contraceptives was through friends (34%), followed by the radio (11.5%) and husbands (10.2%). Most respondents procured their contraceptives from chemist/patent medicine shops (19.7%), while only 0.8% obtained them from designated family planning clinics. The younger groups in this study (15-24 years), single people, Catholics, and Muslims, showed a greater preference for chemist/patent medicine shops for their sources of contraceptives. The older groups and married respondents, however, made use of government and private hospitals to obtain their contraceptives. CONCLUSION: Strategies to increase contraceptive use must take into consideration these identified sources of contraceptives with a view to enhancing the quality, quantity, and variety of methods available, and to building capacity for effective service delivery. There is also a need to encourage the establishment of adolescent-friendly clinics where young people can go for counselling and obtain contraceptives of their choice, including emergency contraceptive pills.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Peri-abortion contraceptive care: can we reduce the incidence of repeat abortions?

INTRODUCTION: It is of great importance for repeat unwanted pregnancies to be prevented rather than aborted. We therefore sought to: determine the reasons for contraceptive failure in women seeking repeat abortions; audit the peri-abortion contraception services offered at our hospital, and make recommendations regarding peri-abortion contraception services based on the above findings. METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was used to determine the contraceptive practices and details of peri-abortion contraceptive counselling received by 50 women undergoing a repeat, and 83 women undergoing a first-time, abortion. RESULTS: Ninety-eight percent of women undergoing a repeat abortion reported using contraception at the time of conception, as compared to 83% of women undergoing a first-time abortion. This difference was significant (p = 0.009). Condoms were the main method used by 57% of women undergoing a repeat and 70% of women undergoing a first-time abortion. The oral contraceptive pill (OCP), including both combined oral contraceptive and progestogen-only pill, was the main method used by 37% of women undergoing a repeat and 25% undergoing a first-time abortion. Both these methods were found to be ineffective because of user-dependent failures. All women received peri-abortion contraceptive counselling, but the perceived contents varied. Follow-up contraceptive appointments were made in less than half of women. Although most women chose an optimal contraceptive method as a result of the counselling, compliance with the chosen method in women undergoing repeat abortions was poor. CONCLUSIONS: Standards of audit were met with regards to receipt of contraceptive counselling and agreeing a contraceptive method before discharge. The content of this counselling needs to be improved. The ineffectiveness of the OCP and barrier methods of contraception needs to be highlighted during counselling. Adequate follow-up arrangements need to be provided to ensure compliance of the chosen method of contraception.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The use of contraceptive methods by the Mossi in a rural health district of Kaya, Burkina Faso].

We investigated contraceptive practices in the rural health district of Kaya in Burkina Faso with the aim of a) comparing the sociodemographic and cultural characteristics of individuals who were well and poorly informed concerning contraceptive methods; b) analyzing the pattern of use of these contraceptive methods by the populations. We carried out a two-level cluster survey by the Hendersen method. For each household investigated, the chief, his wife (or one wife selected at random in polygamous families) and an adolescent (or one adolescent selected at random if there was more than one adolescent) were interviewed. Significantly more men than women were well informed concerning contraceptive methods. Similarly, a higher proportion of male adolescents than of female adolescents were well informed concerning contraceptive methods. The individuals who were well informed concerning contraceptive methods differed from those who were not well informed in terms of age, religion, level of education and radio listening habits. The prevalence of use of contraceptive methods in this study was found to be 4 to 36%, depending on the group studied. The majority of individuals expressed an intention to use contraceptive methods in the future: 59 to 78%, depending on the group studied. The contraceptive methods chosen for current and future use were, in order: the pill, condoms and contraceptive implants and the intrauterine device. Current patterns of contraceptive use favor, in decreasing order of preference, abstinence, the pill, condoms and contraceptive implants. There was also a strong tendency for individuals to experiment with diverse contraceptive methods. Thus, in the future, there is likely to be a trend towards the abandoning of abstinence in favor of the pill, condoms and contraceptive implants. Of these newer methods, condoms are likely to be the least popular and their relegation to a lower level of importance is likely to have disastrous consequences in terms of the prevention of HIV transmission by the sexual route. The results of this study indicate that information campaigns concerning contraceptive methods should be refocused on women and adolescent girls, condom promotion and maintaining the use of the methods chosen in the population.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Do oral contraceptive agents affect the risk of breast cancer? A meta-analysis of the case-control reports.

BACKGROUND: We designed a study to assess the association of oral contraceptive use and the development of breast cancer for women in the following groups: (1) ever oral contraceptive users, (2) long-term oral contraceptive users, and (3) oral contraceptive users before a first full-term pregnancy. METHODS: A MEDLINE search of studies published in English from 1966 to 1990 was conducted using the following key words: "oral contraceptive and breast carcinoma." Eligible studies included all published case-control reports of nonduplicated data on a population (hospital or community-based). The following data were extracted from each report: country, age of subjects, number of cases and controls, whether it was a hospital or community-based study, and results. Two evaluators using a quality-assessment instrument independently and blindly reviewed the methods and data analysis section from each eligible study. In the category of "ever oral contraceptive users," an estimate of the pooled relative risk with 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated. In the categories of "duration of oral contraceptive use" and "duration of oral contraceptive use before a first full-term pregnancy," Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rs) was calculated. RESULTS: For the categories of "ever oral contraceptive users" and "long-term oral contraceptive users," no association between the use of oral contraceptives and the development of breast cancer could be detected (pooled relative risk "ever oral contraceptive users" = 1.07, 95 percent CI 0.78 to 1.36, rs "duration of use" -0.153, P = 0.189). For the category of "oral contraceptive use before a first full-term pregnancy," a significant correlation was found (rs = +0.497, P = 0.011). Many reports failed to demonstrate adequate protection against the biases most relevant to case-control methods (namely, recall bias, interviewer bias, surveillance bias, and nonresponse bias) and therefore received low-quality scores. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests a possible increased risk for breast cancer in women who use oral contraceptives before a first full-term pregnancy. The data, however, are confounded by studies that are generally of low quality. Further studies addressing the risk for breast cancer in oral contraceptive users need to be designed with methods that limit the biases inherent in case-control studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Effect of oral contraceptive progestins on serum copper concentration.

OBJECTIVES: Recent epidemiologic studies have shown an increased mortality from cardiovascular diseases in people with higher serum copper levels. Even though higher serum copper concentration in women using oral contraceptives is well known, there is still uncertainty about the influence of newer progestin compounds in oral contraceptives on serum copper concentration. This issue is of particular interest in the light of recent findings of an increased risk of venous thromboembolism in users of oral contraceptives containing newer progestins like desogestrel compared to users of other oral contraceptives. DESIGN: Cross-sectional epidemiologic study. Examinations included a detailed questionnaire on medical history and lifestyle factors, a seven day food record, and blood samples. SETTING: National health and nutrition survey among healthy people living in private homes in West Germany in 1987-1988. SUBJECTS: Nonpregnant and nonlactating women aged 18-44 y (n = 610). RESULTS: Overall, the use of oral contraceptives was positively associated with serum copper concentration in by bi- and multivariable linear regression models with log-transformed values of serum copper concentration as dependend variable and oral contraceptive preparations and potential confounding variables as independent variables. Serum copper concentration in women using oral contraceptives varied more strongly by different progestin compounds than by estrogen contents. The highest increase of serum copper was seen in women using oral contraceptives containing antiandrogen progestins (55%; 95% CI: 37-76%), followed by desogestrel (46%; 95% CI: 36-56%), norethisteron/lynestrenol (42%; 95% CI: 29-57%), and levonorgestrel (34%; 95% CI: 24-45%). CONCLUSION: While elevated serum copper concentration was found in users of all types of oral contraceptives, elevation was more pronounced among women taking oral contraceptives with antiandrogen effective progestins like antiandrogens or third generation oral contraceptives containing desogestrel. Further investigation is required to shed light on the possible role of high serum copper concentration in increasing cardiovascular or thrombotic risk of women using oral contraceptives.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Contraceptive applications of estrogen.

Estrogens are a primary component of several contraceptive methods: combined oral contraceptive pills, a combined injectable contraceptive, the combined contraceptive vaginal ring, the combination transdermal contraceptive patch, and combined emergency contraceptive pills. Contraceptive formulations that contain estrogen are referred to as combined contraceptives because they also contain some form of progestin. This article reviews the contraceptive methods containing estrogen, beginning with a discussion of combined oral contraceptive pills. Formulations and clinical management, mechanisms of action, noncontraceptive benefits of use, therapeutic uses in addition to contraception, side effects, contraindications to use, and drug-drug interactions are described. Information follows about the newer combined contraceptive products including the injection, vaginal ring, and patch. Finally, combined emergency contraceptive pills are reviewed. Thorough knowledge of the contraceptive methods containing estrogen enables clinicians to provide expert care for women using these products.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2001

Ovarian and endometrial function during hormonal contraception.

This report addresses the balance of benefits and risks from changes in ovarian and endometrial function from hormonal contraception. The main mode of action of hormonal contraception is inhibition of ovulation, due chiefly to the dose of oestrogen in combined oral contraceptives. With 20 microg dosages of ethinyl oestradiol follicular activity is more common so that contraception depends on suppression of the LH surge or disruption of the endometrial cycle. In polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treated with oral contraceptives, cysts become smaller and in time the ovarian volume is reduced, ovarian testosterone secretion is reduced and there are potentially favourable effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Typical oral contraceptive users in the 1980s had a lower incidence of ovarian cysts, but modern oral contraceptives do not appear to affect the incidence of functional cysts or benign epithelial cysts. Moreover, randomized controlled trials indicate that oral contraception prescriptions are unlikely to prevent the development of functional cysts or to hasten their disappearance. Oral contraceptives, however, greatly reduce pelvic pain in women with symptomatic endometriosis and improve the health-related quality of life. Bleeding is a common response with all types of hormonal contraception, but current methodology is inadequate to make accurate comparisons of different products or of different phasic formulations. With continuing use, however, combined oral contraception is associated with endometrial atrophy, the biological plausibility for a reduced risk of endometrial carcinoma. With progestin-only contraception, a number of endometrial changes are considered as possible mechanisms of the associated bleeding but it remains largely unexplained. Oral contraceptives are frequently used for treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding, although only one trial has been reported. Oral contraceptive use confers protection from endometrial [relative risk (RR) 0.5] and ovarian (RR 0.4) cancers and in both cases, the protection lasts for up to 2 decades after stopping use.

Contraceptive Agents, Female↗
PubMed1998

Myocardial infarction and stroke in young women: what is the impact of oral contraceptives?

Recent discussions have centered on the small apparent risk increase for venous thromboembolism found with newer oral contraceptives (third-generation oral contraceptives containing the progestins desogestrel and gestodene) compared with older oral contraceptives (second-generation). This article reviews the studies addressing the association between oral contraceptive use and thromboembolic conditions affecting the arterial system, ischemic stroke, and myocardial infarction. Differences are found between a US database study, which showed no risk of ischemic stroke or myocardial infarction associated with low-dose oral contraceptive use, and the European studies, which showed oral contraceptive use in general to be associated with increased risks of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. The European studies showed no difference between oral contraceptive generations with respect to the occurrence of ischemic stroke; however, the risk of myocardial infarction associated with oral contraceptive use was consistently lower for third- than for second-generation oral contraceptives. Although there seems to be no differential risk of ischemic stroke associated with oral contraceptive generations, third-generation oral contraceptives appear to be consistently associated with no excess risk of myocardial infarction. In all instances, however, cardiovascular risk factors other than oral contraceptive use play the predominant role in the occurrence of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Breast cancer among young U.S. women in relation to oral contraceptive use.

BACKGROUND: While most studies have found no association between oral contraceptive use and breast cancer, several studies of younger women have reported an association with long-term oral contraceptive use. PURPOSE. We studied the relationship of patterns of oral contraceptive use to breast cancer risk among younger women. These women have had oral contraceptives available their entire reproductive lives and are now entering the breast cancer-prone years. METHODS: A population-based, case-control study of breast cancer was conducted in three counties in western Washington State among women born in 1945 or later, ages 21-45. Case patients were 747 women with breast cancer diagnosed in 1983-1990 and identified through the Seattle-Puget Sound Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry. Control subjects were 961 women identified by random-digit telephone dialing. Subjects were interviewed in person, using pictures of brands of oral contraceptives and calendars of life events as recall aids. RESULTS: There was no increased incidence of breast cancer associated with ever having used oral contraceptives. Because only 8% of this cohort had never used oral contraceptives, short-term users (< 1 year) were combined with never users as the reference group for further analyses. A small increased risk of breast cancer was associated with long duration of oral contraceptive use (odds ratio for > or = 10 years = 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.9-1.9; P for trend = .03), particularly among women aged 35 years or younger (odds ratio for > or = 10 years = 1.7; 95% CI = 0.9-3.1). Breast cancer was also modestly related to oral contraceptive use early in reproductive life (odds ratio for use within 5 years of menarche = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.0-1.8; P for trend = .04) and to use of high-progestin-potency oral contraceptives for at least 1 year (odds ratio = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1-2.1). These associations were adjusted for age, age at menarche, term pregnancy, induced abortion, and family history of breast cancer. The associations were not further confounded by case-control differences in education, religion, breast feeding of offspring, or infertility; in oral contraceptive contraindications, indications, or complications; or in measures of breast cancer detection such as mammography or breast biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term oral contraceptive use among young women or use beginning near menarche may be associated with a small excess breast cancer risk, possibly due to susceptibility to genetic damage in breast epithelial cells at ages of high breast cell proliferative activity. IMPLICATIONS: Future studies should investigate whether the patterns of risk we reported are present as this cohort ages.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The use of levonorgestrel implants (Norplant) for contraception in adolescent mothers.

BACKGROUND: Although levonorgestrel implants (Norplant) would appear to be a good contraceptive option for adolescent mothers, there is little information about the use of Norplant in this population. METHODS: We studied 100 postpartum adolescents who chose a contraceptive method at an urban teaching hospital between September 1991 and July 1992. Structured interviews were conducted and medical records were reviewed soon after delivery and at a mean (+/- SD) of 15.5 +/- 2.9 months post partum. RESULTS: Forty-eight of the adolescent mothers chose Norplant, 50 chose oral contraceptives, and 2 (not further studied) chose barrier methods of contraception. The factors significantly associated with the choice of Norplant were older age (16.7 years among those who chose Norplant, vs. 16.2 years among those who chose oral contraceptives), multiparity (24 subjects vs. 6 subjects), and previous use of oral contraceptives (34 subjects vs. 21 subjects). During follow-up, there were no differences between the Norplant group and the oral-contraceptive group in the frequency of clinic visits (an average of 2.3 visits per subject in each group), failure to return after the postpartum visit (9 subjects vs. 11 subjects), or the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (42 percent vs. 36 percent). At follow-up, 95 percent of the subjects in the Norplant group and 33 percent of those in the oral-contraceptive group were still using the method they had chosen (P < 0.001). During the first postpartum year 1 subject in the Norplant group and 19 in the oral-contraceptive group became pregnant (P < 0.001). Norplant users did not differ from all other adolescents studied with regard to sexual activity or condom use. CONCLUSIONS: The selection of Norplant by adolescent mothers as a method of contraception is associated with higher rates of continued use and lower rates of new pregnancy than the selection of oral contraceptives and does not affect the use of health care services, sexual activity, condom use, or the rate of sexually transmitted diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Emergency contraception--why women don't use it.

AIM: The aim of the study was to examine knowledge of and perceived availability of the emergency contraceptive pill as well as reasons for its non use. METHODS: One hundred women each attending Epsom day unit or the Auckland medical aid clinic in Auckland seeking termination of pregnancy, and 100 women seeking contraceptive advice from the Alice Bush centre in Auckland, were asked to take part in the study. RESULTS: At Alice Bush centre 57% of women had previously used the emergency contraceptive pill compared with 43% women at Epsom day unit and 32% women at Auckland medical aid clinic. Only 7% of women attending Epsom day unit or Auckland medical aid clinic had used the emergency contraceptive pill in the month they conceived. When asked why they had not used the emergency contraceptive pill 38% of respondents said they had not heard of it and 41% did not know where to obtain it. Pacific Island women were least likely to have heard of it. Approximately 50% knew the correct time interval for using the emergency contraceptive pill. Sixty two percent attending the abortion clinics would have used the emergency contraceptive pill if they had a supply at home and 57% stated they would have used it if it was available over the counter through pharmacies. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancy between the numbers of women who knew of the emergency contraceptive pill (72%) and the numbers who used it to try to prevent pregnancy (7%) indicates that there are barriers to obtaining and using the emergency contraceptive pill. This study demonstrated a lack of knowledge of the emergency contraceptive pill in women attending the abortion clinics. The majority of women seeking termination of pregnancy would have used the emergency contraceptive pill if they had it available at home or over the counter through a pharmacy. Doctors prescribing the pill and barrier methods of contraception should consider providing a supply of emergency contraceptive pill at the same time and consideration should be given to over the counter prescribing of the emergency contraceptive pill in New Zealand.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Contraception: an overview.

In this century, paramount progress has been made in many areas of medicine, not least in the field of contraception, with landmarks such as the introduction of intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs), hormonal contraceptives (OCs), and laparoscopic sterilization. The general optimism of the 1960s about overcoming the problems of global overpopulation with these new tools has subsequently been replaced by growing concern about the risks of contraception in general and of OCs especially. It was not before the 1980s that the benefit-risk balance of hormonal contraception turned out to be much more favorable than was formerly suspected. The wide variation from country to country in the prevalence of contraceptive methods has economic, political, religious, sociological, educational, and legal rather than medical reasons. Former misjudgments have led to a ban on valuable tools such as the sequential regimen or the use of 17-acetoxyprogestogen analogues as components in OCs, or to a ban on the licensing of depot progestogens in some countries but not in others. The recent decision of U.S. firms to cease production and sale of IUDs for legal reasons is unique and hopefully will not be imitated elsewhere. Just after the introduction of oral contraception, tremendous inventive dynamics led to the discovery of several new contraceptive principles. Most of these have reached the stage of clinical application and are being used satisfactorily, at least in some parts of the world. Later contraceptive concepts are still in the stage of experimentation and no breakthrough appears to be directly ahead. If contraception means more than just meeting individual wants--if it is also to be an instrument for handling the increasing problems of overpopulation--then much more must be done to deepen our knowledge of reproductive physiology, to popularize efficient means of contraception, and to make them available to everyone. Otherwise, all efforts to improve health standards throughout the world according to the "WHO Global Strategy for Health for All by the Year 2000" will be in vain.

Contraception↗
PubMed1994

Women's satisfaction with Norplant as compared with oral contraceptives.

BACKGROUND: Women's satisfaction with their chosen method of contraception has seldom been evaluated, especially in the primary care setting. This study compared women who use Norplant with those who use oral contraceptives with regard to patient satisfaction with, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of, their birth control method. METHODS: We sent questionnaires to 115 Norplant users and 148 oral contraceptive users. The questionnaire asked for demographic data; a rating of level of satisfaction with their contraceptive; whether they would choose their method again; whether they would recommend their contraceptive to a friend; and what they perceived as its advantages and disadvantages. RESULTS: Sixty percent of responding Norplant users were satisfied with their method as compared with 72% of oral contraceptive users (P > .05). Sixty-three percent of Norplant users indicated that they would use their method again, compared with 88% of oral contraceptive users (P < .05). Seventy-four percent of Norplant users said they would recommend their method to a friend as compared with 97% of oral contraceptive users (P < .05). Oral contraceptive users reported significantly less menstrual bleeding and cramping than did Norplant users (P < .05), and Norplant users reported significantly more acne and bleeding irregularities (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the majority of responding Norplant and oral contraceptive users were satisfied with their current method of contraception. However, Norplant users reported being less willing to use their method again or to recommend it to a friend, as compared with women using oral contraceptives. Norplant users noted more bleeding irregularities, more cramping, and increased acne.

Adult↗