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Side effects and discontinuation of oral contraceptive use in southern Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Barbara Janowitz ,
Thomas T. Kane ,
Jose Maria Arruda ,
Deborah L. Covington  and
Leo Morris
Barbara Janowitz
Affiliation:
Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Thomas T. Kane
Affiliation:
Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Jose Maria Arruda
Affiliation:
Sociedade Civil Bem-Estar Familiar no Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Deborah L. Covington
Affiliation:
Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Leo Morris
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Summary

The subsequent contraceptive behaviour following reported side effects in users of oral contraceptives in the southern region of Brazil is examined in relation to discontinuation of pill use, changing to other methods, termination of contraceptive use, the role of the physician in influencing a woman's decision to discontinue pill use, and discontinuation according to the type of problem experienced.

In 2904 currently married women, aged 15–44, almost 75% reported that they had used the pill at some time, and of these 45.6% were still doing so. Women who reported problems with the pill were less likely to be current users (25%) than the women who did not (65%). However, overall contraceptive prevalence was about the same in both groups. Women who stop using oral contraceptives are more likely to be using traditional methods than women in the general population, especially if they want more children. Termination of pill use varies little according to the type of problem reported. Women with problems who sought medical attention were more likely to stop using the pill and so were women advised to stop by their physician, but the major factor affecting discontinuation was the reported experience of a problem.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , July 1986 , pp. 261 - 271
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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