Contraceptive practice in New Zealand.

A survey of contraceptive practice in New Zealand was carried out using a population-based sample of women, aged 25 to 54, selected as control subjects in a national case-control study. The results showed that sterilisation has become the most common means of family limitation. Overall, 45% of women aged 25 to 54 were in a union where one or the other partner had been sterilised. Vasectomy was the most common method of contraceptive sterilisation. The frequency of hysterectomy contributed to the high rates of sterilisation; 12% of women had had a hysterectomy. Over 80% of New Zealand women had used an oral contraceptive at some time, but only 11% were using the pill at the time of the survey. Comparison with earlier studies of contraceptive use in New Zealand show there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of contraceptive sterilisation, and a marked decrease in the use of oral contraceptives.