As the prognosis of patients with CF improves, sexual health, fertility, pregnancy, and contraception are increasingly important. To plan the provision of contraception and sexual health service for women with CF, we studied their sexual and reproductive history, their current usage of contraception, the sources and quality of advice they had received, and their particular needs using a confidential questionnaire sent to all women over 16 years of age attending a regional CF center.
Of 55 women surveyed, 42 responded. Thirty-three women were sexually active, and 13 had experienced 19 pregnancies, five of which were unplanned. Only half of the women who responded were using contraception. Twenty-six women reported not having received contraceptive advice specific to CF, and 24 said they were not warned about the potential interaction between pills.
The study concluded that women with CF have a relatively high unplanned pregnancy rate and do not receive optimal advice or use the full range of contraceptive methods. CF teams lack training in contraception, and contraceptive services may not have detailed CF and its complications. New strategies are needed to focus on both teams’ knowledge and skills in providing better services for women with CF.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/35/3/157
