Older Women Are Less Likely to Use Contraceptives Than Are Younger Women

Nonuse of contraception also was associated with lower education level, black race, Medicaid coverage, lack of insurance, and infrequent sexual activity.

Sexually active women of reproductive age who do not use contraception despite not wanting to become pregnant account for half of all abortions performed in the U.S. To identify risk factors for nonuse of contraceptives, investigators analyzed data from a nationally representative survey of almost 3700 sexually active women of reproductive age (15–44 years).

In multivariate analysis, nonusers of contraceptives were 6 times more likely than were consistent users to be 40 or older. Nonusers also were more likely to be high-school–educated or less (odds ratio, 2.4), Medicaid recipients (OR, 1.9), non-Latina blacks (OR, 1.8), or uninsured (OR, 1.6), and to report few months (1–4) of sexual activity during the past year (OR, 3.8). Inconsistent co…

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Older Women Are Less Likely to Use Contraceptives Than Are Younger Women

Topics

Reviewing Author