Abstract
Evaluation of: Rowen TS, Smith JF, Eisenberg ML et al. Contraceptive usage patterns in North American medical students. Contraception 83(5), 459–465 (2011).
Contraception in medical students has not been well studied. Furthermore, the relationship between student knowledge and comfort in discussing sexuality with patients and personal choices of contraception has not been explored. A cross-sectional survey of nearly 2300 North American medical students attempted to define contraceptive usage and identify characteristics of effective use. In total, 71% of men and 76% of women were using at least one form of contraception, with condoms being the most popular method, followed by oral contraceptive pills. Female medical students were more likely to be using some form of birth control when compared with the general population. Decreased rates of contraception use were found in black and Asian students, students not in relationships and in female respondents with more sexual dysfunction. Students who felt comfortable discussing sexual topics were more likely to be using contraception themselves; however, no correlation was seen between contraceptive use and one’s perception of training in sexual and reproductive issues. Further studies are needed to determine whether personal contraception translates into more effective patient counseling and how curriculums should be structured to most effectively train medical students in this area.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.