Fewer and fewer young women in Germany are using birth control pills. This was reported by the newspapers of the Funke Media Group (Saturday editions), citing an evaluation of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). According to this, in 2020, a third (33 percent) of female 14- to 19-year-olds insured had the birth control pill prescribed. Five years ago, this figure was 44 percent, according to the report.
According to the data, the decline is particularly strong among 18- and 19-year–olds – i.e. in the age groups that take the pill most often: In 2015, 67 percent of 18-year-old TK-insured women received at least one pill regulation, while in 2020 it was only 50 percent. Among 19-year-olds, the report shows a similar development: the proportion of prescriptions fell from 72 percent to 53 percent.
“We can only speculate about the exact reasons. In any case, the attention to the topic is higher than a few years ago, “said the head of the Pharmaceuticals department at TK, Tim Steimle, the newspapers. The decline may also be related to reporting on so-called newer generation pills, which overall had a higher risk of thrombosis.
