Better Double Safe than Sorry

This was a finding of a study published in the December issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The study surveyed more than 2,000 women aged between 18 and 44 about their contraceptive use. Two-thirds of respondents were using contraception, including more than 15% who used more than one method.

The contraceptive pill was the most widely used method (39%), followed by the condom (28%). More than one-quarter of pill users (28%) were using condoms as well.

Women under 25 and students were found significantly more likely to use the combination of pill and condom. This could reflect a greater number of sexual partners in this demographic and the associated greater need for protection against both sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

The study’s authors, Dr Nick Parr and Dr. Stefania Siedlecky, have stressed the need to examine contraceptive practices not only from a fertility viewpoint, but also as protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

Education, cultural factors arising from ethnic background and the nature of sexual and family relationships were all cited as important factors in determining contraceptive choices. -Blackwell Publishing Ltd.