Six years after the last survey, the BVA Institute conducted a new study about contraception in France. It interviewed 700 young French women between 15 and 24 from a representative sample. The results were forwarded to the account of Effik, a pharmaceutical laboratory that produces several contraceptive pills (Dresopop, Drospibel)
This could be the beginning of a new era for the pill, 55 years after it was legalized (with the Neuwirth law of 1967). Young women are losing interest in the pill. This method of contraception is used by 44%, compared with 60% in 2016. However, it is still the most popular method of contraception. It is now used by 44% of respondents, compared to 60% in 2016.
According to the study, more than three quarters (34%) of women questioned don’t use contraception. It also indicates that 5% of women abstain from using contraception and 6% withdraw their partner before ejaculation.
Many women decide to change their contraceptive method because they feel it is restrictive, less fulfilling or nonexistent.
However, 41% of people who have stopped taking the pill express concerns about this contraceptive method (not natural enough and unreliable, fear side effects).
A further 40% of women who quit taking the pill expressed their dismay at its restrictions, stating that they fear forgetting the pill or criticizing its frequency. Contraindications include smoking, disrupting menstrual cycles, or other health issues. Only 13% of women stop taking the pill.
52% of women who were surveyed said they took the pill to contraceptive purposes. 73% stated that they used it to solve a problem.
This means that 38% of young women use contraception to control their periods, 38% to reduce pain, 21% to improve their skin (especially the reduction in acne), and 21% to have shorter periods.
The study also revealed that young women don’t know the effects of the pill. 21% believe that the pill can cause you to become sterile. On average, 43% of the correct answers were given by women to this questionnaire.
It was also revealed that only 8% knew that the pill could reduce the chance of developing ovarian cancer by half. The 17% who did not know this were all unaware that the pill is not effective in protecting against sexually transmitted diseases or infections.
56% of young women are interested in learning more about the topic, a fact that is reinforced by their ignorance. For example, half of the women interviewed were unable to provide an exact length of their menstrual cycle (28 day), and more than three quarters are not aware of the hormonal makeup of the pills.
