He was compiled by Sophie Butcher, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Edinburgh. Molly Gilmour, Department of Sociology, University of Glasgow. Federica Cucé, Department of Medicine, Padova University. Elise Kearsey, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh. Ruwa Mahdi, Department of Social Sciences and Public Policy, King’s College London. and Kehinde whyte-Olymp, Medical School, University of Leeds
In the UK (United Kingdom), it is estimated that 87% of women and 74% of men have access to contraception each year[1]. Meanwhile, 95.9% of those investigated in a 2019 report by Cert (n = 295), a policy research team specializing in contraceptive education in Scotland, believed that contraception requires change and reform[2]. Therefore, improvements to access and use of contraception experiences would be wide.
Research shows people’s experiences in accessing and using contraception are shaped by their gender[3]. For example, contraceptive experiences often gender is within heterosexual relationships, there is a tendency for the burden of responsibility to fall on women. This is partly due to the lack of options for ‘male contraceptives’[4]. Women suffer disproportionately from contraception problems and side effects and are also those that will benefit more than improvements. Currently, poor contraception causes unpleasant and unwanted mental and physical side effects for the user. These side effects are a significant cause of interruption or change in the contraceptive method. So change and reform need and have a transformative potential – but what could look like?
This is what our research group of six students from the United Kingdom and Italy tried to discover with research What is a positive contraceptive experience.
Initially, we carried out a systematic review of the literature. Using 31 Basic Terms (2010 – Present) and “Web of Griness”. This review of the literature found that current research on contraception in the United Kingdom did not investigate “what works”, focused on exploring contraception -related problems, mainly reversible contraceptives and urgency, The experiences of users of men, older, queer, genderqueer and ethnic minorities were neglected fundamentally. Taking this as a starting point, the main research we have done contributed to the development of understanding what it creates positive Experiences when using contraception with a population that reflects modern British society.
In this light, we did a narrative analysis to help us understand how individuals interpret their daily experiences. The narratives were collected using terms of searching for “positive contraception” through 25 online platforms such as YouTube, electronic forums and blogs. The consent was obtained by each writer. This search has given a total of 5,049 cases, from this, the experiences of 80 people are deliberately selected. The authors differ in ages, nationality, location and socio -economic background. We tried to deliberately overcome the backstage that had previously been overlooked in the literature.
Findings
While the experiences on contraception were largely different, we have found three key issues in all 80 cases selected for this research.
A sense of physical control
Permanence: A common feature for many positive experiences was that the method did not interrupt one’s daily routine. In other words, contraception should not be a daily pressing concern. We have found that a greater sense of permanence leads to a subsequent decline in concern.
A person “chose Mirena because it lasts 7 years and I won’t have to think about it.”
Body image: More specifically in the LGBTQ+community, it was found that experiences were positive when the person’s self-acceptance and identity improved. What made a certain contraceptive “one” was his ability to make people feel under control and comfortable in their bodies and if they are aligned in the way in which people perceive their body and identity – for example when one hormonal contraception eliminated the period of a person:
One person explained that they should never have had a period, he was not in agreement with their identity, but now, since he used a hormonal IUD, he is more in one with their body.
Information, collaborative, non -critical and discreet consultations with healthcare professionals
The relationship between the individual and the health care professional shapes many contraceptive experiences. In some cases, different forms of contraception were considered acceptable, while others, such as emergency contraception, were associated with “irresponsible” behavior. The accounts have shown that a positive contraceptive experience is that where a healthcare professional is not traditional.
A person’s IUD appointment was a “very positive experience”, as the doctor who placed the coil was “reassuring”. The patient felt in “safe hands” as the doctor took the time to inform her about the different types of coils, which made her feel that her decision was “supported”.
Supporting relationships with loved ones
We found that the people who were supported and could communicate openly with their loved ones had more positive contraceptive experiences. For example, people expressed gratitude when their sexual partner is accompanied by an appointment. Phrases as “Was absolute jewelry” and ‘I could not ask for greater welding experience” They were used by people when describing the facts. In addition, without support, some people may feel too aggravating with the responsibility to get contraception.
Similarly, lack of communication with loved ones can affect one’s health as it may be delayed to get the necessary support. For example, a person reported that they were accompanied by a parent when consulted a doctor about a piece on their breasts and when the doctor asked if he was in contraception, the man declined to report that he was since the parent had previously expressed hormone judgments contraceptive. This story highlights the interaction between health professionals and patients and their loved ones.
Conclusions and next steps
This research helps to support evidence of what creates positive experiences in access and use of contraception. We found that when the three factors presented at the same time appear, the experiences from the use of contraception were described as positive. While this research has shown many of the developments that have contributed to the formation of positive contraceptive experiences in the United Kingdom, there remains a lot of work to be done in the United Kingdom and beyond. Both the need for positive experiences (and not just neutralizing the negative) and the three key factors we have found should be provided both in health care and politics.
We believe that the findings of this research are related to experiences internationally. Medical professionals and institutions should be actively working to encourage non -critical consultations (especially around certain contraceptives such as emergency contraceptives), to better understand how physical autonomy in patient decision making and facilitate of supportive dialogue between patients and their loved ones.
Meanwhile, policy -makers and decision -making those responsible for making decisions should also consider these factors. In the long run, this could resemble specific laws or training plans for medical professionals, the most information education on sex and the relationship or the reduction of the need for consultations in prescribing certain forms of contraception such as emergency contraception. In a short -term basis, political decisions must ensure that it is no more difficult to obtain information and contraception. For example, the British Pregnancy Counseling Service (BPAS) has already warned that the recent decision to rebuild the mini pill as a medicine without prescription-with consultation-could lead to overly annoying and bureaucratic consultations, a joint experience mentioned when accessed when urgent contraception[5]. Such a policy change will contradict our finding that non -critical consultations contribute to positive experiences. It is important for policy -makers to take action to ensure that consultations are informative, collaborative and do not shame users.
Basically, for professionals and institutions in the medical sector, as well as for policies and decision -making, all contraceptive users must be taken into account when taking into account these recommendations. There is a chronic undercover of men, older, queer, genderqueer and ethnic minorities of contraceptive users into previous surveys, and their experiences must be incorporated into all decisions, not only to be added or investigated separately. Various experiences must always be integrated into research and policy -making rather than be regarded as a second thought.
There are still many unanswered questions about how contraceptive training, prescription practices and medical side effects for individuals in both Kingdom and worldwide can be improved. Some of the issues that arose in this research are specifically related to the narration of “physical control”. For example, it raises interesting and important questions about what “physical control” looks like in practice and the relevant importance of this sense of control for contraceptive users. There is plenty of room for further progress in determining the way in which such a positive sense of control can be used to improve experiences in future sexual and reproductive health care, and we argue that this is an important issue for future research.
[1] French, Rs, Geary, R., Jones, K., Glasier, A., Mercer, Ch, Datta, J., MacDowall, W., Palmer, M., Johnson, Am and Wellings, K., 2018. Women and men in Britain get contraception? Findings from the third national research of sexual behaviors and lifestyles (Natsal-3). BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, 44 (1), pp. 16-26.
[2] Cheney, E., Lambert, K., Mcintosh, E. and Rzewnicki, F., 2019. A contradiction of Education and Reform Group – 2019 Report and Policy Proposal. Edinburgh: Buchanan Institute.
[3] Higgins, Ja and Hirsch, JS, 2008, pleasure, power and inequality: incorporating sexuality into research for contraceptives. American Journal of Public Health, 98 (10), pp. 1803-1813.
[4] CHAO, J., Page, St and Anderson, RA, 2014. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology, 28 (6), pp. 845-857.
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