Self-reported hormonal contraceptive use in the British Armed Forces

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Military Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) contain synthetic hormones that can affect endogenous reproductive hormones.
• Military service demands may influence HC choice and use among servicewomen.
• Understanding HC use patterns and motivations in British servicewomen is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate current hormonal contraceptive use among UK servicewomen.
• To identify the primary reasons for hormonal contraceptive use in this population.
• To explore potential influences of military service on HC choices.

Main Methods:

• An online questionnaire was distributed to 14,500 trained UK Armed Forces servicewomen.
• The survey collected data on demographics, current HC use, and reasons for use.
• The survey remained accessible for a 3-month period.

Main Results:

• 58% of the 3,395 respondents reported current hormonal contraceptive use.
• The most common methods were the contraceptive pill (20%) and intrauterine system (17%).
• Key reasons for use included pregnancy prevention (78%) and menstrual cycle control (61%).

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of UK servicewomen utilize hormonal contraceptives, with younger women showing higher usage.
• The contraceptive pill is the most frequently used method.
• The high rate of using HCs for menstrual management is likely linked to military service's unique environmental and cultural factors.