Do young women have specific problems in contraceptive use and counselling?

Objectives: To find out if young women have specific problems with the use of contraception or contraceptive services. Study design: A national postal survey was conducted, RR 74%. Women aged 18-34 years (with experience of contraceptive use)were included in this report (n=1239). Results: Weekly need for contraception was highest in the age group 18-24 years (61%), oral contraception being the most widely used method regardless of parity. Condoms were used by 35-37% in all age groups, either alone or combined with oral contraceptives (17% of young nulliparas). Women aged 18-24 years had mainly used public or subsidized services (79%). Of quality characteristics, only satisfaction with the kindness of the service provider varied significantly by age. The cost of contraception was highest in the youngest age group. Conclusions: The study did not point at any serious problems in family planning among young women, but it did produce several clues for the development of family planning services in general. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.