Abstract
Objective. To investigate current contraceptive practice in Sweden and Swedish women's attitudes towards various contraceptive methods.
Methods. In 1994, a random sample of Swedish women (n=2330), aged 15-45 years (stratified according to age and geographic distribution), were invited by telephone to participate in the study. Women (n=1788) who accepted the invitation to participate were sent a postal questionnaire.
Results. Completed questionnaires were returned by 1422 women (overall response rate: 61.0%). The sample was somewhat skewed towards higher educational level, but in other demographic respects no great deviations from the parent population were observed. The distribution of contraceptive methods in fertile, sexually active women who wished to avoid pregnancy was as follows: oral contraceptives (OCs) 33%, OC plus barrier method 5%, intrauterine device 21%, barrier methods 23%, sterilization 5% (female 3%; male 2%) and injectable steroids 2%. The overall pattern of contraceptive use in women aged 15-45 years had changed very little compared to results of a similar survey performed in 1987. However, the use of less effective methods (periodic abstinence, coitus interruptus and no method grouped together) was considerably lower among teenagers in 1994 (3%) than in 1987 (18%). The use of these traditional methods was still high in women aged over 35 years (15–17%). A large number of women considered medical methods of contraception to be reliable and easy to use but many were concerned about the safety for health of medical methods.
Conclusions. Contraceptive practice changed towards more frequent use of medical, effective methods among young Swedish women, but not in the total female population. The latter was among others related to the relatively high use rates of less effective methods among women aged over 35. Women were concerned about the health safety of medical methods and relatively low percentages of women reported having received advice from health care professionals to use effective methods.