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Over Half of Women Running the Threat of Unintended Pregnancies

With research this week claiming women who'd taken the Pill for over 10 years reduced their risks of developing ovarian cancer by 45%
Health - 28 October 2011   Download IconContent available for download:  
Audio | Interview with Jo Hemmings and Dr. Caroline Cooper| Login to Download

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Over half of women (58%) run the threat of an unintended pregnancy by taking unnecessary risks with their contraception. 39% of women said contraception was either something they forgot or didn’t consider, while over one in ten (13%)1 didn’t want to ruin the moment. Risk taking is prevalent among all relationship life stages with over half (55%) of married women and nearly three quarters (71%) of dating women admitting to having taken a gamble by not using contraception.

A huge gap in women’s contraception knowledge has been revealed; 86% don’t know that there are more than 15 forms of contraception and over a quarter (27%) of women said they would actually consider more significant measures such as sterilisation or their partner having a vasectomy if they no longer wanted children, perhaps because awareness of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) options is low; on average 25% of women are not aware of all of the different LARC options such as the intrauterine system (IUS), intrauterine device (IUD), implant and injection.

Furthermore, over a third (35%) of women admit they are less likely to use contraception as they get older. Such risk-taking is particularly surprising given that on average, the women surveyed believed their fertility only started declining at 47. 43% of divorced women admitted they have had unprotected sex more than five times.

. Introduction:

New research by Bayer HealthCare has revealed that over one in two women are running the risks of an unintended pregnancy by taking unnecessary chances with their contraception. A huge gap in women’s contraception knowledge has been revealed, some women said they would consider more significant measures such as sterilisation or their partner having a vasectomy if they no longer wanted children, which may be because awareness of LARC options is low. Last year’s abortion statistics confirm that women continue to take risks when it comes to their sex lives, with the results revealing that abortion rates had increased in women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

So, what are the costs of taking risks with contraception and what are the alternatives available for women?

Joining us to discuss this further is Jo Hemmings, a Behavioural Psychologist and Dr. Caroline Cooper, a Sexual Health Specialist.

. Suggested Questions:

What does the report reveal about women’s attitudes to contraception in our area?

What are the consequences of taking risks with contraception?

Why are women unaware of contraceptive options such as LARCs – and what actually are the options available for women?

Why are women in their 30s and 40s some of the worst when it comes to taking contraception?

Why do you think it is important that women talk about their contraceptive options with their friends or partners?

What advice do you have for women who are concerned about their current contraception and want information on the alternatives?

Where can we find out more information?