Study objective: To investigate the use of contraception in a representative sample of Norwegian women.
Outcome measures: Frequency distribution of contraceptive methods by age, marital status and partly strata.
Material: A sample of 4,933 women were selected at random from the Central Population Register as participants in the second Norwegian fertility study (1988). The response rate was 81% (n = 4,019) and personal interviews of contraceptive use were carried out among 2,782 women who were fecund, sexually active and not pregnant. These women comprise the study population.
Results: 2,782 women were sexually active during the last month prior to the interview and thus in potential need of contraception. More than 50% of the women used either oral contraceptives (21%) or IUDs (30%). The use of oral contraceptives decreased linearly with age from a user rate of 60% among women 20-24 years old to 1.5% among women 40-44 years of age. The use of IUDs increased from 6% in the youngest age group to nearly 40% among women aged 30-39 years of age. Oral contraceptives were preferentially used by childless women or those with only one child, while IUDs were most often used by women with two or more children. The sterilisation rate increased by age and in the 40-44 age group one out of every three women was sterilised. Non-use was most frequent among the subgroups of women who planned children in the future. Use of condoms and other coitus-dependent contraceptives varied less with age, marital status and parity than did the use of OC, IUDs or sterilisation.
Conclusion: The user pattern concerning different contraceptive methods reflects the general guidelines for contraceptives in Norway. The fact that nearly 70% of the women were in one of the three categories--OC or IUD users, or one of the partners was sterilised--reveals that the awareness and knowledge of modern contraception is high in Norwegian society.
PIP: During October 1988-August 1989, staff of the Central Bureau of Statistics in Norway interviewed 4019 women, 20-44 years old, as part of a second Norwegian fertility survey. An obstetrician-gynecologist analyzed data on 2782 of these women who were fecund, sexually active within the last 30 days, and not pregnant, to determine contraceptive use patterns. 90.8% used contraception. Nearly 70% of the 9.2% not using contraception stated positive attitudes about someday becoming pregnant. Most of the sexually active women were married or cohabiting and had 1 or more children. Most women depended on IUDs (29.9%), oral contraceptives (OCs) (20.8%), or sexual sterilization (14% for female sterilization and 4.8% for vasectomy) to prevent pregnancy. OC use decreased linearly with age (p .0001) (59.8% for 20-24 year olds, 25.5% for 25-29 year olds, 14.7% for 30-34 year olds, 4.3% for 35-39 year olds, and 1.5% for 40-44 year olds). On the other hand, IUD use tended to increase with age (6.4% for 20-24 year olds to 40.5% for 35-39 year olds). Sexual sterilization also increased with age (p .05) (female sterilization, 0.1% for 20-24 year olds to 36.4% for 40-44 year olds; vasectomy, 0.8% for 25-29 year olds to 10.1% for 40-44 year olds). Women with no children or 1 child tended to use OCs, while women with at least 2 children tended to use the IUD or had chosen sexual sterilization. Induced abortions were most common among single women (e.g., 40.5% vs. 12.3% for married/cohabiting 20-34 year old women with no children or 1 child). Single women were less likely to have given birth than married/cohabiting women (7.7% vs. 63% 20-34 year olds with 0-1 children). Modern contraceptive use patterns mirror recommendations to women who seek contraceptive counseling. That 69.5% depended on OCs, the IUD, or sexual sterilization suggested that the level of awareness and knowledge of modern contraceptives is high in Norway.