Negative Perceptions and Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive Choice in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) have high rates of safety, satisfaction, and continuation in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Despite this, utilization of these methods by AYAs is low. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the negative personal perceptions or beliefs about birth control and LARCs and their association with contraceptive use in AYAs. Methods: We surveyed young people (14-24 years old) seeking care at a Title X-supported adolescent reproductive and sexual health clinic to assess negative perceptions of birth control methods, with an emphasis on LARCs. We used appropriate bivariate statistics to compare those endorsing 3 or fewer negative perceptions with those who had more than 3 and logistic regression to identify predictors of contraceptive choice. Results: We recruited 345 participants; 337 (97.7%) completed the survey. Among respondents, the median age was 20 (range 14-24) years, and 7.04% of participants had ever been pregnant. The most commonly held negative perceptions were fear of device migration or breakage causing adverse health effects and concern about effect on future fertility. The number of negative perceptions endorsed did not differ significantly by age. However, a greater number of negative perceptions and younger age were clinical predictors of LARC nonuse. Conclusion: AYAs have negative perceptions about LARCs that are often inaccurate and may limit contraceptive acceptability and perceived options. Engaged and respectful dialogue with AYAs about their concerns and fears is essential to provide accurate and patient-centered contraceptive counseling and to ensure that young people can make informed contraceptive choices.