Contraceptive Poll Results Released

A recent study by Marie Stopes International, a family planning charity, made some startling discoveries. The study involved over 500 women aged 16 to 24 and found that 23 percent of them admit to having engaged in unprotected sex after consuming too much alcohol. Of those who had ever taken birth control pills, over 75 percent report forgetting to take them properly one or more times. Almost 40 percent of the women say they have taken the morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy at least once in the past.

These findings indicate a strong need for education about longer-term contraceptive choices, indicates the charity. These choices include injections, implants and intrauterine devices, such as a coil or IUD. In fact, over 75 percent of the surveyed women said they want a type of contraception they don’t have to think about during sexual activity.

Despite these findings, male and female condoms remain the only contraceptive choices that offer significant protection from sexually-transmitted infection, making them a necessity during many sexual encounters. Ideally, a highly-effective contraceptive is combined with condom use for safe, healthy sex.

Women who find themselves forgetting to take their birth control pills or having sexual encounters without protection should consider asking their physician about longer-term contraceptive options.

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