Scottish survey reveals contraception myths

Scotland, United Kingdom, October, 7: A Scottish survey has found that most of the women do not avail the best available contraception because of false beliefs and fears arising from inadequate information. The survey was conducted to examine why use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) in the UK is still low.

Long-acting reversible contraceptives have high effectiveness and do not depend upon occasion or daily compliance, as with methods such as the pill or condoms. Types of long-acting reversible contraception include the contraceptive injection, contraceptive implants and an intrauterine method.

LARC methods are highly effective in preventing unintended pregnancies, bur their uptake is still low in the United Kingdom. The survey of 55 women, carried out by sexual health specialists in southern Scotland, discovered anxiety about weight-gain was one of many myths and misconceptions that deterred many women from getting the long-acting hormonal contraception.

The survey, published in this month's issue of the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, said that most of the women rejected the coil and implants because they did not want examinations or invasive procedures. There were others who chose the birth control pill just because their parents, colleagues or friends were using it.

The study's researchers, supported by the Department of Health (DH), the Scottish Government and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, said that the long-acting contraceptives seemed to scare many women who were worried that they would affect their long-term fertility.

"We are shooting ourselves in the foot by saying they are long-acting, and we need to emphasize that they don't impair fertility, and the majority of them don't affect weight," said Professor Anna Glasier, from Sexual Health NHS Lothian.

"Doctors tend to focus on medical problems, whereas women are actually more worried about their weight, their skin and their chances of being able to have children in the future," she said.

According to Lynn Hearton, of the Family Planning Association (FPA), several women worry about things like their fertility and gaining weight while taking long-term contraceptives. Such women are not only concerned about their effectiveness, but their impact on the whole of their lives.

"Contraception is of paramount importance to many women of all ages, but there are many myths and misconceptions circulating about how methods work and what the side effects are,” Hearton said. "So it's imperative that each and every woman has the information, time and support to consider all these issues and make her own informed choice."

Introduced in the 1960s, the oral contraceptives are medicines taken by mouth to help prevent pregnancy. Commonly known as birth control pill, the medicine is now the world's most popular form of contraception used by more than 12 million women in the United States and more than 60 million women worldwide, as per the estimates of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The contraceptive pill that revolutionized birth control practices uses hormonesdefine to suppress ovulationdefine. The pill, typically containing estrogen or progesterone, inhibits ovulation and thereby prevents conception.