Abstract
BackgroundWe aimed to determine the prevalence of consumption of oral contraceptives (OCs) among adolescents and young women living in Spain and to identify the factors associated with this consumption.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study on the consumption of OCs by women aged 15–30 years residing in Spain. We used secondary individualized data from the 2006 (n = 2513) and 2012 (n = 1530) Spanish National Health Surveys. The dependent variable was the use of OCs in the previous 2 weeks. Independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidity, lifestyle, and healthcare resource utilization.The prevalence of OC consumption was analysed by investigating the changes observed between 2006 and 2012. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify the independent factors associated with OC use in each year.ResultsIn 2006, 14.42 % of women reported using OCs; this percentage dropped to 10.21 % in 2012 (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed an association between OC use and visits to the gynaecologist (AOR, 5.60 [95 % CI, 2.93–10.73] in 2006; and AOR, 3.55 [95 % CI, 1.30–9.73] in 2012), Pap smear tests (AOR, 1.8 [95 % CI, 1.23–2.87] in 2006; and AOR, 2.42 [95 % CI, 1.30–4.51] in 2012), and smoking in 2006 (AOR, 1.42 [95 % CI, 1.04–1.93]).ConclusionsThere was a significant decrease in OC use from 2006 to 2012 among adolescents and young women living in Spain. In the present study, consumers of OCs were women who visited a gynaecologist more often and complied more with preventive measures such as Pap smear testing. Also, women who reported having used OCs were more likely to smoke than the rest of the study population, although the smoking habit is a risk factor for thrombotic events in women who take OCs.
Highlights
We aimed to determine the prevalence of consumption of oral contraceptives (OCs) among adolescents and young women living in Spain and to identify the factors associated with this consumption
There was a significant decrease in OC use from 2006 to 2012 among adolescents and young women living in Spain
Women who reported having used OCs were more likely to smoke than the rest of the study population, the smoking habit is a risk factor for thrombotic events in women who take OCs
Summary
We aimed to determine the prevalence of consumption of oral contraceptives (OCs) among adolescents and young women living in Spain and to identify the factors associated with this consumption. Approximately 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and some one million girls under 15 give birth every year, and 85 % of these pregnancies are unplanned [6]. Every year in Spain, there are about 4000 term pregnancies in adolescents under the age of 17 [7]. Investigations carried out on the use of contraception among Spanish women show that the male condom is the most common method, followed by OCs [8, 9]. Oral contraceptives are available to Spanish women age 15 and older at pharmacies, and there is no age limit on the availability of emergency contraception.
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