Publications (110) View all
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Article: Effect of prospectively measured pregnancy intentions on the consistency of contraceptive use among young women in Michigan.
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ABSTRACT: STUDY QUESTION: What is the predictive value of pregnancy intentions on contraceptive behaviours among women aged 18-19? SUMMARY ANSWER: Women aged 18-19 have high levels of inconsistent use of contraception, which mostly occur at times when women strongly wish to avoid a pregnancy. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Pregnancy intentions provide an indication of how well individuals achieve their reproductive goals. However, retrospective accounts of pregnancy intentions using dichotomous indicators suffer temporal instability and fail to capture the wide range of attitudes towards pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: In this study, data are drawn from a population-based survey of 992 women of ages 18-19 years in Michigan, who completed weekly journals assessing contraceptive use, pregnancy intentions and reproductive outcomes during 2.5 years of follow-up. The response rate was 86% for the baseline interview and 65% after 2.5 years of follow-up. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: We examined 15 446 pairs of journal entries. We used logistic regression with random effects to assess the predictive effect of women's desire to become pregnant and to avoid a pregnancy, measured each week, on consistency of use of contraception the following week. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Women reported inconsistent use of contraception in more than a quarter of weekly journals (28.3%). Consistent use of contraception increased from 22 to 78% as women s intentions to become pregnant decreased and increased from 23 to 78% as motivations to avoid pregnancy increased. The combination of scores of the pregnancy desire and avoidance scales shows indifferent or ambivalent pregnancy attitudes in 8.6% of weekly records. These women were more likely to report inconsistent contraceptive use compared with women who expressed anti-conception attitudes [OR = 2.8 (2.2-3.5)]. However, 23% of women who had unequivocal anti-conception feelings did not use contraception consistently, contributing to 72% of the weeks of inconsistent use in our population. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: In this study, consistency of contraceptive use, based on the use of contraception at every act of intercourse, does not fully capture a women's risk of becoming pregnant. The 35% attrition after 2.5 years may have affected the internal validity of our results, although a reanalysis based on the first year of observation produced very similar results. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Because most instances of inconsistent use of contraception occur among women who are keen to avoid a pregnancy, our results suggest there is room for improving contraceptive behaviours by promoting use of methods which do not require user adherence. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for grant #R01-HDHD050329 (P.I. Barber, University of Michigan) and grant #R24HD047879 (Center infrastructure of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, JT and KSH). None of the authors have a competing interest.Human Reproduction 12/2012; · 4.47 Impact Factor -
Article: Trends and determinants of reproductive health service use among young women in the USA.
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ABSTRACT: This study explores the current patterns of reproductive health service use among young women in the USA and the changing influence of socio-demographic factors on the types of services used over time. The study population, drawn from the two last cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth, consists of women aged 15-24 (n = 2543 in 1995, n = 2157 in 2002). We examined trends in use of 'contraceptive services' and 'other reproductive health services for preventive care' and tested for changes in the patterns of use of these services over time. Logistic regression models were used to further clarify the factors associated with the use of the two types of services in 2002. Results show no difference in the overall use of reproductive health services in the past year but did reveal changes in the type of service sought. Use of services for contraception increased by 10 percentage points (39.3% in 1995 to 49.7% in 2002, P < 0.001), although the use of other services remained stable (53.2% in 1995, 50.2% in 2002, P = 0.14). The patterns of use varied over time, exhibiting growing social disparities. In 2002, the use of contraceptive services depended on women's age, number of partners, personal and mother's level of education, and menstrual problems. The use of other reproductive health services for preventive care varied across women's socio-economic background. This study demonstrates increasing social differentials in the use of reproductive health services for preventive care among young women in the USA between 1995 and 2002, a finding which calls for careful monitoring in the context of limited resources.Human Reproduction 09/2009; 24(12):3010-8. · 4.47 Impact Factor -
Article: Frequency of discontinuation of contraceptive use: results from a French population-based cohort.
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ABSTRACT: Despite the widespread use of highly effective contraceptive methods in France, one in every three pregnancies is unintended. Among women experiencing an unintended pregnancy leading to an abortion, half had changed their contraceptive method in the 6 months preceding the abortion, in most cases switching to a less-effective method or to no method at all. This study provides estimates of method-specific contraceptive discontinuation rates for any reason and for method-related reasons among French women. The data were drawn from the COCON survey (2000-2004), a population-based French prospective cohort, comprising a representative sample of 2863 women aged 18-44. We estimated Kaplan-Meier life-table probabilities of contraceptive discontinuation during the 4 years of follow-up and tested for differences by intrauterine device (IUD) type and pill composition. Probabilities of contraceptive discontinuation for method-related reasons varied widely by method: IUDs were associated with the lowest probabilities of discontinuation (11% within 12 months, 30% within 4 years), followed by the pill (22% and 48%, respectively). Discontinuation rates were significantly higher for all other methods (condoms, withdrawal, fertility awareness methods and spermicides). We found no differences in discontinuation rates by the type of IUD (levonorgestrel-IUD versus copper-IUD) and increasing rates of pill discontinuation with decreasing dosage in estrogen. Contraceptive discontinuation rates among French women are substantially lower than those reported for US women. Comparing the determinants of contraceptive discontinuation and the role of healthcare providers in helping women make these changes would improve our understanding of the reasons for such variation.Human Reproduction 03/2009; 24(6):1387-92. · 4.47 Impact Factor -
Article: Contraceptive failure rates in France: results from a population-based survey.
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ABSTRACT: Despite the widespread use of highly effective contraceptive methods in France, one in every three pregnancies is unintended, of which 65% occur while using contraceptives. In the USA, 49% of pregnancies are unintended, half of which result from contraceptive failure. This study provides estimates of method-specific failure rates among French women. We use data from the 2000 Cocon Study, a population-based cohort, comprising a representative sample of 1689 women aged 18-44 years who described their contraceptive history. Piecewise-constant hazards models were used to estimate method-specific contraceptive failure rates during the first 5 years of contraceptive use. A random effect was introduced to take into account the fact that some women contribute more than 1 contraceptive episode. These same models were used to assess the effects of socio-demographic characteristics on the probability of contraceptive failure among pill, intrauterine device (IUD) and condom users. Overall, 2.9% of women experienced a contraceptive failure in the first year of use and 8.4% in the first 5 years of use. The IUD had the lowest first year failure rate (1.1%), followed by the pill (2.4%), the condom (3.6%), fertility awareness methods (periodic abstinence or safe period by temperature) (7.7%), withdrawal (10.1%) and spermicides (21.7%). These failure rates varied little by user characteristics. Lower failure rates among French women compared with those reported for US women suggest differences in contraceptive practices which need to be further explored.Human Reproduction 10/2007; 22(9):2422-7. · 4.47 Impact Factor -
Article: Emergency contraception.
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ABSTRACT: Emergency contraceptives are methods that prevent pregnancy when used shortly after unprotected sex. Three different emergency contraceptive methods are safe, simple, and widely available in the United States. These are: (1) ordinary combined oral contraceptives containing ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel taken in a higher dose for a short period of time and started within a few days after unprotected intercourse; (2) levonorgestrel-only tablets used similarly; and (3) copper-bearing intrauterine devices inserted within approximately 1 week after unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraceptive use is best known for women who have been raped, but the methods are also appropriate for women who have experienced condom breaks, women who did not use any method because they were not planning on having sex, or women who had unprotected intercourse for any other reason. Unfortunately, few women know about emergency contraceptives, and few clinicians think to inform their patients routinely about the option. A nationwide toll-free hotline (1-888-NOT-2-LATE) and a website (http://not-2-late.com) can help women learn about these options. Sharing "family planning's best-kept secret" widely with women could prevent as many as a million unwanted pregnancies annually in the United States.Seminars in Reproductive Medicine 01/2002; 19(4):323-30. · 3.80 Impact Factor
