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Recent use of condoms and emergency contraception by women who selected condoms as their contraceptive method.

Nelson AL

Division of Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA, Torrance, CA, USA.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine how consistently indigent, predominantly Hispanic women who had previously selected male condoms as their contraceptive method had used condoms and emergency contraception (EC) during the 2 weeks before their family planning clinic visit and reasons for any nonuse. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey with no personal identifiers collected. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-eight women were surveyed. Overall, 43.8% of sexually active women reported inconsistent condom use during the prior 14 days. Only 39% of women who had not used condoms consistently used EC at least once. The most common reason for nonuse of both condoms (44%) and EC (41%) was that the woman did not perceive that she was at risk. CONCLUSION: Inconsistent use of condoms and low use of EC are very frequent, even in a short-time frame. Patients may be reluctant to volunteer to clinicians their real contraceptive choices. Risk taking occurs at high rates, even among couples provided ready and free access to male condoms and EC.

Published 29 May 2006 in Am J Obstet Gynecol, 194(6): 1710-5; discussion 1715-6.
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