Abstract
Objective
The study was conducted to determine women's preferences about menstrual bleeding
patterns and their willingness to manipulate bleeding with contraception.
Study Design
Women presenting for routine obstetric and gynecologic care at two US locations (Portland,
OR, and Atlanta, GA) were offered a self-administered, anonymous survey. A validated
survey tool was used.
Results
Valid surveys from 292 women were obtained. Mean age was 27 years (SD 8.0). We were
unable to separate geographic vs. racial differences in responses because race significantly
differed between sites (p<.001). The populations surveyed were predominately black
in Georgia (88%, 58/66) and white in Oregon (83%, 142/172). Overall, the majority
of women did not like their menstrual period (69%, 190/275) and preferred a menstrual
frequency of every 3 months or never (58%, 164/281) with no differences between racial
groups. When asked if they would consider using a birth control method that stopped
their menstrual periods, 40% (111/278) reported yes, 28% (78/278) reported no and
32% (89/278) were undecided. However, significantly fewer black than white women would
consider a birth control method to stop their menstrual periods (29% vs. 49%, p=.006).
Conclusions
Although the majority of US women surveyed dislike menstruation and prefer less frequent
or no menstrual periods, black women were less accepting than white women of contraception
that induces amenorrhea.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to ContraceptionAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Preferred frequency and characteristics of menstrual bleeding in relation to reproductive status, oral contraceptive use, and hormone replacement therapy use.Contraception. 1999; 59: 357-362
- Amenorrhea associated with contraception ��� an international study on acceptability.Contraception. 2003; 67: 1-8
- Women's and providers' attitudes toward menstrual suppression with extended use of oral contraceptives.Contraception. 2004; 70: 359-363
- Choosing when to menstruate: the role of extended contraception.(Accessed July 10, 2006)
- Women's attitudes to withdrawal bleeding and their knowledge and beliefs about the oral contraceptive pill.Med J Aust. 1988; 149: 417-419
- Attitude of German women and gynecologists towards long-cycle treatment with oral contraceptives.Contraception. 2004; 69: 37-42
- Women's knowledge and sources of information on the risks and benefits of oral contraception.J Am Med Women's Assoc (JAMWA). 2003; 58: 112-116
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 26, 2007
Accepted:
February 23,
2007
Received in revised form:
February 8,
2007
Received:
November 15,
2006
Footnotes
���Financial support: HD 01243-03 (NICHD K-12).
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
