One in six pregnancies in Britain is unplanned. An understanding of influences on contraceptive method choice is essential to provision compatible with users’ lifestyles. Researchers did this study to describe the contraceptive method used by age, and relationship status and duration, among women in Britain.
Researchers used a total of 4456 women at risk of pregnancy to examine associations between contraception use, age, relationship type, and duration. Age-stratified odds ratios for contraceptive use by relationship type and time were estimated using binary logistic regression.
Barrier method use was higher in short-term relationships among younger participants; this was not seen among older respondents. The relationship duration was more strongly associated with the usual contraceptive method than the relationship type, especially among younger participants.
The study concluded that asking about relationship status and duration may help providers support women’s contraceptive use by considering their priorities and preferences at different life stages. Interactions between relationship characteristics, age, and contraception are complex and bear closer scrutiny in research, policy, and practice.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/44/3/165
