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What do women use when they stop using the pill?

W F Pratt1, C A Bachrach

  • 1Family Growth Survey Branch, Division of Vital Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics.

Family Planning Perspectives
|November 1, 1987
PubMed
Summary

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Oral contraceptive use declined significantly, with women increasingly using it to delay pregnancies. Most quit due to physical issues, often switching to non-permanent methods like condoms.

Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Public Health
  • Demography

Background:

  • Current use of oral contraceptives (the pill) among married women aged 15-44 decreased from 25% in 1973 to 13% in 1982.
  • Ever-use of the pill, however, rose from 60% to 80% during the same period.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in oral contraceptive use and discontinuation among married women.
  • To understand the reasons for quitting the pill and the subsequent contraceptive choices made by former users.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of survey data on contraceptive use patterns among currently married women aged 15-44.
  • Examination of trends in current use, ever-use, reasons for discontinuation, and subsequent method choices.

Main Results:

Keywords:
AmericasContraceptionContraception FailureContraceptive HistoryContraceptive MethodsContraceptive Methods ChosenContraceptive UsageDemographic FactorsDeveloped CountriesDeveloping CountriesFamily PlanningFemale SterilizationFollow-up StudiesIudNorth AmericaNorthern AmericaOral ContraceptivesPopulationPopulation DynamicsResearch MethodologyResearch ReportSterilization SeekersSterilization, SexualStudiesTime FactorsUnited States

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  • By 1982, the pill was primarily used for delaying first pregnancies and spacing subsequent births, not for ending childbearing.
  • Most women discontinued the pill independently due to physical problems, averaging 3.2 years of use.
  • While pill use declined alongside increased sterilization, direct switching was uncommon; 60% opted for non-permanent methods (condoms most popular), and 19% used no method.

Conclusions:

  • The decline in oral contraceptive use reflects a shift in reproductive intentions and method preferences.
  • Physical side effects are a major driver for discontinuing the pill, leading many women to alternative, often non-permanent, contraceptive methods.