Acceptance of the monthly contraceptive ring among users of
contraception
A. Etxebarria, E. Lopez Arregui, J. Zulueta, M. Jimenez, J. Peña,
J. Gurrea
Basque Contraception Society, Basque Country, Spain
Background The
acceptability of a method of contraception is fundamental to adequate compliance.
The availability of new methods and guidelines on the market made us wonder
whether there exists a specific user profile for each method.
Objective To
ascertain the level of acceptance of the monthly contraceptive ring (MCR) in a
population of women who use contraception.
Methods A total of 948 women agreed
to participate in this cross-sectional, descriptive, multicentre study carried
out at 17 public and private centres in the Basque Country between September and
December 2005. Women aged between 18 and 49 attending specific contraception
consultations were recruited after receiving advice about the various combined
hormonal methods and being offered the opportunity of using the MCR. Data were
collected on the sociodemographic characteristics of the women, the method of
contraception they were using, the use of tampons, their previous knowledge of
the MCR and the source of information, and the reasons for refusing to use it.
Results A total of 64.2% of the women agreed to use the MCR. Their mean age was 26.5 years,
with no statistically differences with respect to the age. Neither were there
significant differences in the method previously used (52.8% condom and 35.5%
pill) or the choice of the MCR. Although there were no significant differences
in the acceptance of the MCR according to the level of education of the women,
it tended to be used more among women with a university education (68%) than
among those with a basic education (59%). Two factors that determined acceptance
of the MCR were identified: the previous use of tampons and the type of
consultation (public or private) the women attended. 91% of the interviewed
women used tampons and 64% of them agreed to use the ring. However, it should be
pointed out that 43% of the women who had never used tampons agreed to use the
ring. As regards the type of consultation, there were differences in the rates
of acceptance of the MCR among those who attended public consultations (59%) and
those who attended private consultations (69%), which may indicate greater
confidence in and/or empathy with the doctor when the woman chooses the doctor.
Conclusions The MCR can be accepted by a high percentage of women and there
seems to be no definite user profile. Accordingly, it can be offered to any type
of woman.