"Contraceptive Habits" survey

From the "Contraceptive Habits" survey (.pdf) commissioned by Schering-Plough, the pharma behind NuvaRing and Implanon:

All Women:

· 92 percent of all women surveyed did not know that 50 percent of unintended pregnancies in the United States occur with couples that used some method of birth control.

· The majority of all women surveyed (64 percent) worry about something having to do with sex. The order of worries is:
o Satisfaction (partner and self): 23 percent
o Body image: 19 percent
o Contracting STDs: 8 percent
o Getting pregnant: 6 percent

· Sixty-two percent of all women indicated they discuss birth control with a potential partner.

Women 18–34:

· Four in five (80 percent) women aged 18-34 who currently use birth control say they primarily use it to prevent pregnancy.
o Ninety-three percent of women aged 18-34 (both on and off birth control) do not know that half of unintended pregnancies in the United States occur with couples that used some method of birth control.

Women 35-44:

· [S]eventy-one percent of 35- to 44-year-olds surveyed reported never or rarely having difficulty remembering to use their birth control method versus 68 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds.

Current Contraceptive Users:

· Almost half of women who currently use birth control (46 percent) would agree (strongly/somewhat) that they often feel relieved to get their period if they’ve been sexually active.

· Fifty-three percent of women who have ever used hormonal birth control said a physician’s recommendation was among the top five attributes that are most important to them in choosing a birth control method.

· Sixty-two percent of women who currently use a hormonal contraceptive method reported they would agree (strongly/somewhat) that having sex increases their stress levels when they have not used their birth control correctly.

· Seventy-six percent of women who have ever used a hormonal birth control have had concerns about their birth control method.

· Thirty-nine percent of women currently on birth control have used their chosen method for 5 or more years.

· Sixty-three percent of current contraceptive users reported that prevention of pregnancy is their primary reason for using birth control.

· Nearly 80 percent of current contraceptive users (79 percent) agreed (strongly/somewhat) that it is very important to have sex without having to stop and think about birth control.

For me, the most surprising finding of the survey was that a majority of those surveyed did not know that 50% of unintended pregnancies in the United States occur with couples that used some method of birth control. This fact has been known for quite some time and has been well popularized (or so I thought).

So, in the interest of reality-based discussions about birth control, unintended pregnancies, and abortion, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out there and insure that as many people as possible are aware of the fact that ~50% of unintended pregnancies occur in couples who use some method of birth control.