A study, conducted by the Penn State School of Medicine (USA) and published in the journal Contraception Journal , reveals that many women choose to give up the pill , for fear of gaining weight.
Overweight women leave the pill
A survey of 987 American women aged 18 to 40 with active sexual activity, wanted to compare their BMI (Body Mass Index) and the perception of their body with their refusal or not to use a method of contraception .
The results show that obese or overweight women have a large preference for long-acting contraceptives ( IUDs , patches, implants) or non-prescription methods such as condoms or ovulation monitoring. On the other hand, women whose weight is normal, would tend to favor the pill.
Other preferred methods of contraception (without estrogen)
"We believe it is possible that these overweight or obese women are more likely to choose other methods than the pill or injections for fear of gaining weight," said Dr. Cynthia H. Chuang, one of researchers. "Therefore, they choose both more effective methods (such as long-term methods) and less effective methods, such as contraception without prescription," she added.
According to the researchers, this choice is also explained by the fact that long-acting methods of contraception do not contain estrogen. In contrast, the study did not demonstrate that body perception played a role in choosing one contraceptive over another.
The pill, the favorite contraceptive method of French women
In France, the pill remains the most popular method of contraception since 32.8% of women aged 20 to 44 use it. 18% favor the IUD and 11.9% use the condom. In contrast, 23.8% do not use a contraceptive. (Source: ined.fr, 2013)
