Associations between complementary medicine utilisation and the use of contraceptive methods: Results of a national cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background and purposeThis study examines the relationship between the use of complementary medicine (CM) interventions or consultations with CM practitioners and women's choice of contraceptive method. Materials and methodsA secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of Australian Women aged 34–39 years from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) was conducted. Associations between use of CM and contraception were analysed using Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression. ResultsBased on the responses from the included women (n = 7299), women who consulted a naturopath/herbalist were less likely to use implant contraceptives (OR 0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33; 0.95). Those consulting a chiropractor (OR 1.54; 95%CI 1.05; 2.25) or an osteopath (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.32; 3.54) were more likely to use natural contraception. ConclusionThere may be a link between women's choice of contraceptive method and their use of CM, in particular, with CM practitioner consultations.