Young Women's Complex Patterns of Contraceptive Use: Findings from an Australian Cohort Study
- 1 September 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Guttmacher Institute in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Vol. 52 (3), 181-190
- https://doi.org/10.1363/psrh.12158
Abstract
CONTEXT Unintended pregnancy is common among young women. Understanding how such women use contraceptives— including method combinations—is essential to providing high‐quality contraceptive care. METHODS Data were from a representative cohort of 2,965 Australian women aged 18–23 who participated in the 2012–2013 Contraceptive Use, Pregnancy Intention and Decisions baseline survey, had been heterosexually active in the previous six months, and were not pregnant or trying to conceive. Latent class analysis was employed to characterize women's contraceptive choices; multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate correlates of membership in the identified classes. RESULTS The vast majority of women (96%) reported using one or more contraceptives, most commonly short‐acting hormonal methods (60%), barrier methods (38%), long‐acting contraceptives (16%) and withdrawal (15%). In total, 32 combinations were reported. Four latent classes of method use were identified: no contraception (4% of women); short‐acting hormonal methods with supplementation (59%, mostly the pill); high‐efficacy contraceptives with supplementation (15%, all long‐acting reversible contraceptive users); and low‐efficacy contraceptive combinations (21%); supplementation usually involved barrier methods or withdrawal. Class membership differed according to women's characteristics; for example, women who had ever been pregnant were more likely than other women to be in the no‐contraception, high‐efficacy contraceptive or low‐efficacy contraceptive combination classes than in the short‐acting hormonal contraceptive class (odds ratios, 2.0‐3.0). CONCLUSIONS The complexity of women's contraceptive choices and the associations between latent classes and such characteristics as pregnancy history highlight the need for individualized approaches to pregnancy prevention and contraceptive care.Keywords
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Hormonal contraceptive use in Australian women: Who is using what?Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2019
- Condom use and incident sexually transmitted infection after initiation of long-acting reversible contraceptionAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2017
- Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention With Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: Factors Associated With Dual UseSexually Transmitted Diseases, 2017
- Contraceptive practices among women: the second Australian study of health and relationshipsContraception, 2016
- The Complexity of Multiple Contraceptive Method Use and the Anxiety That Informs It: Implications for Theory and PracticeArchives of Sexual Behavior, 2016
- Association of the quality of interpersonal care during family planning counseling with contraceptive useAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2016
- Prevalence and distribution of unintended pregnancy: the Understanding Fertility Management in Australia National SurveyAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2015
- Changing patterns of contraceptive use in Australian womenContraception, 2009
- USING A REPRODUCTIVE LIFE COURSE APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD USE IN AUSTRALIAJournal of Biosocial Science, 2009
- Use of ‘dual protection’ and other combinations of contraceptive methods in AustraliaAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2007