The pill remains the preferred method of contraception by French women. However, it is highly criticized by users in relation to the IUD.
Pill, IUD, patch… The range of contraceptive methods is wide. Women have the option of choosing the pill, stopping it and trying the implant or the vaginal ring. A contraceptive journey that evolves according to age and needs, according to the survey “Women and their contraception” carried out by Kantar Health for the Gedeon Richter laboratory.
Among the 800 women surveyed, more than half use regular contraception. The vast majority of them chose the pill. One in five women opted for the IUD, one in ten for the implant and one in 100 women for the patch or vaginal ring. The least used methods are those less known to women.
Efficiency, the main criterion
To choose their contraception, women first assess the efficacy, long and short term tolerance as well as the mode of administration and adaptation to their lifestyle. For more than half of women, discretion and frequency of intake are also very important criteria.
According to them, the IUD comes out on top, while it is used by 20% of women. Conversely, the pill is judged very severely, and yet it is the most widely used contraceptive method in France. In this context, how is it that the IUD is not used more? Because many reservations and fears persist. Women fear the pain and severe bleeding it can cause during menstruation. The lack of autonomy from doctors is also a significant obstacle.
Satisfied users
Overall, they say they are satisfied with their method of contraception. However, this observation is nuanced for users of the pill. Indeed, although they are satisfied with the pill, in particular its ease of use, the survey reveals that the omissions are very frequent. And when that happens, nearly 6 in 10 women do not use additional contraception such as a condom or the morning after pill.
The judgment of women who take the pill is therefore paradoxical: on the one hand, they think that this method of contraception is adapted to their lifestyle, but on the other hand, they recognize that it requires a certain rigor and are tired of taking it.
Put an end to stereotypical prescriptions
Because for the vast majority, the pill was the first method of contraception prescribed. And after years of use, they regret the lack of dialogue with gynecologists and general practitioners who have remained in a stereotypical prescription mode. “In Belgium or Spain, the latest methods released on the French market such as the patch or the vaginal ring are very widely used, notes Stéphane Jacquemet, lecturer at the faculty of psychology and educational sciences of the University of Geneva (Switzerland). In the survey, it is striking to note that they are largely unknown to French women. However, those who use them are very satisfied. “
Nevertheless, “the pill crisis” has changed contraception in France. The use of IUDs has increased, especially among women without children. But this option is still marginal and requires an educational effort on the part of doctors. “Following the GATHER consultation model (Welcome, Interview, Information, Choice, Explanation, Return – recommended by INPES) requires time and specific training,” explains Dr Teddy Linet, head of the Gynecology-Obstetrics department within the Loire Vendée Ocean Hospital Center. We must then defeat the a priori women, often fed by those around them ”. The specialist mentions in particular the discomfort caused from the outset by the proposal of the IUD. “Asking women what they think about it is not in our medical habits,” he finally admits.
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