Abstract
Background
The multinational CHOICE (Contraceptive Health Research Of Informed Choice Experience) study evaluated the effects of structured counseling on women’s contraceptive decisions, their reasons for making those decisions, and their perceptions of combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) methods in eleven countries. The aim of this paper to present data from the 1,802 women participating in Israel’s CHOICE program.
Methods
Women (aged 17–40 years) who consulted their health care providers about contraception and who would consider a CHC method qualified to participate. After indicating their intended CHC method, the women received counseling about the daily pill, weekly patch, and monthly vaginal ring. After counseling, the women completed a questionnaire about their contraceptive decisions.
Results
Before counseling, 67%, 6%, and 5% of women (mean age 27 years) intended to use the pill, patch, or ring, respectively. Counseling significantly influenced the women’s CHC choice, with 56%, 12%, and 23% of women selecting the pill, patch, or ring (P<0.0001 for all contraceptive methods versus before counseling). Logistic regression analysis suggested that age significantly increased the probability of switching from the pill to the ring.
Conclusion
Although the pill was the most popular choice overall, counseling appeared to influence Israeli women’s contraceptive decisions, with significantly more women selecting the patch. More than four times as many women selected the ring after counseling than before counseling.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank all HCPs who participated in this study.
Disclosure
The CHOICE study was initiated and funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (MSD), a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. An international steering committee (that included AY) and MSD designed the CHOICE study. Maya Marintcheva-Petrova, MSD, provided statistical support. Michael Abrahamy, MSD Israel, provided organizational and editorial assistance. Alex Loeb of Evidence Scientific Solutions, Philadelphia, PA, USA, provided editorial and medical writing assistance that was funded by MSD. AY, AB, and DS have served on medical advisory boards for MSD and occasionally serve as ad hoc lecturers for MSD. They have also served as investigators, consultants, or lecturers for MSD and other manufacturers of contraceptives. BJO is an employee of MSD and may potentially own stock and/or hold stock options in the company.