A qualitative analysis of women's explanations for changing contraception: the importance of non-contraceptive effects

Britta Wigginton; Melissa L Harris; Deborah Loxton; Jayne C Lucke

doi:10.1136/jfprhc-2015-101184

A qualitative analysis of women's explanations for changing contraception: the importance of non-contraceptive effects

J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. 2016 Oct;42(4):256-262. doi: 10.1136/jfprhc-2015-101184. Epub 2016 Jan 25.

Authors

Britta Wigginton¹, Melissa L Harris², Deborah Loxton³, Jayne C Lucke^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Research Assistant, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
² Research Academic, Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Deputy Director, Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Director, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Honorary Professor, University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 26811435
DOI: 10.1136/jfprhc-2015-101184

Abstract

Background: Women commonly report changing contraceptive methods because of side-effects. However, there is a lack of literature that has thoroughly examined women's perspectives, including why they changed contraception.

Aim: Using qualitative data from a contraceptive survey of young Australian women, we explored women's explanations for their recent changes in contraception.

Method: A thematic analysis of 1051 responses to a question about why women recently changed contraception was conducted.

Results: Themes reflected reasons for changing contraception which included: both contraceptive and non-contraceptive (4%); relationship/sexual (9%); medical (11%); contraceptive (18%); non-contraceptive (41%). A minority of responses were uncoded (17%). Non-contraceptive effects (effects unrelated to pregnancy prevention) featured most frequently in women's reasons for changing contraception.

Conclusions: While cessation of various contraceptives due to unwanted side-effects is a well-known phenomenon, this analysis provides evidence of the changing of contraception for its non-contraceptive effects and reframes the notion of 'side-effects'.

Keywords: contraception; contraceptive changes; contraceptive discontinuation; qualitative analysis; side-effects; young women.

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