78.5% of women of childbearing age, or almost eight in ten, use a contraceptive method, the highest figure since 2014, when it stood at 72.7%. This is the main conclusion drawn from the National Contraception Survey, presented Friday by the Spanish Contraception Society (SEC) and the Spanish Contraception Foundation.
The study, which examines the habits of women – it simply asks them – regarding the use of contraceptive methods, reflects a growing trend in their use, especially women between 20 and 30 years old, who are the ones who use it most often. most because, in general, they are in a phase of greater sexual activity and exposure to pregnancy, interprets the SEC. However, as women age, they tend to reduce their consumption.
The condom remains the most used contraceptive method and, in most cases, it is used “consistently and correctly from the start of the relationship”, explains the company in the survey. The birth control pill is the second most popular method. Concerning the figures, 36.5% of women of childbearing age use a barrier method, 25.3% use hormonal methods and only 8% opt for some form of IUD.
This last aspect was one of the aspects highlighted this year by the Spanish Society of Contraception, which highlights the “effectiveness” of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC), such as the IUD. The authors of the survey, however, regret that its use among young people “remains limited” due, they say, to “persistent myths”.
“Barrier methods tend to be recommended more to young people, and the IUD is not sufficiently offered at a stage of life where it would be very beneficial,” explains SEC President José Quílez, who explained that the irregular bleeding pattern What the IUD can cause is what leads many doctors to choose to recommend the birth control pill, “which provides a more predictable cycle.” Quílez also highlighted the “lack of promotion” of the use of the dual method, which combines a hormonal contraceptive and a condom. Although its adoption has increased slightly, according to the survey, only 20% of women use it in Spain.
The survey also highlights the increasing age at which sexual relations begin, a phenomenon that has occurred over generations. Thus, the average age of young women aged 15 to 19 is 16.3 years, while that of women aged 45 to 49 is 19 years.
The survey also collects data on menstruation. 25% of women report feeling menstrual pain so intense that it prevents them from leading a normal life and feels the need to request time off work. However, only 14% of them end up requesting such leave, for fear of the possible consequences on employment that this decision could have. In fact, 51% of those surveyed expressed this concern.
This year, the study included endometriosis and adenomyosis among health conditions of particular interest. 8% of women have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, although there is concern that in many cases the diagnosis can take more than five years to be confirmed.
