Fifty years on "the pill": a qualitative analysis of nondaily contraceptive options.

BACKGROUND

Despite widespread use of "the pill," half of all pregnancies in the United States remain unplanned. Although nondaily contraceptive options offer a safe, effective alternative to oral contraception, these methods are not widely used.

STUDY DESIGN

A total of 18 women aged 18-23 years completed in-depth interviews. Data analysis included a grounded theory approach and constant-comparative method using open and axial coding to reduce the data and identify themes across the data.

RESULTS

Social norms, health uncertainty and limited knowledge emerged as barriers to use of nondaily contraceptive options. Participants understood birth control as "the pill," and nondaily options were perceived as new and untested. Participants reported a lack of knowledge about the differences between methods and the effectiveness of nondaily options.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings offer practical suggestions to health communication campaign planners and health care providers to increase uptake of nondaily contraceptive options to improve method satisfaction and reduce unplanned pregnancies among young women.