Contraceptive use during the reproductive lifecycle as reported by 46-year-old women in Sweden

The aim of this study was to investigate the contraceptive methods 46-year-old women in Sweden had chosen during different phases of their reproductive lifecycle and, the factors affecting their choice.

The design was a retrospective cross-sectional study and targeted 46-year-old women. Five hundred Swedish women were randomly selected from a national population-based register and sent a questionnaire with 18 multiple response questions: the response rate was 47%.

The women used different contraceptive methods during different phases of their reproductive lifecycle. Women mainly used oral contraceptive pills and condoms before pregnancy, copper-IUD between pregnancies and, hormonal- and copper IUD after pregnancy. Condoms were used during all phases of women's fertile period. Women with early sexual debut were more likely to have used condom as their first contraceptive method than women with late sexual debut, and women who had children were more likely to use IUD as current contraception than women without children. High efficacy, accessibility and advice from a counselor were the most cited reasons for choosing a particular method. The most common reasons for discontinuing contraceptive use were a wish to be pregnant and concerns about side effects. The partner had little or no influence on choice of method, but advice from a gynecologist or midwife was influential.

46-year-old women in Sweden had chosen different contraceptive methods during different phases of their reproductive lifecycle. Partners appear to have limited influence over this choice. Individualized counseling by health care providers seems important.