Reproductive health characteristics of urban South Korean women.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize the reproductive health of urban South Korean women of reproductive age.


METHODS
A cross-sectional online survey on menstrual patterns, sexual behavior, utilization of contraception, and perception of gynecological diseases was administered to 500 women from 15 to 39 years of age in five major cities of South Korea.


RESULTS
Among the respondents, 76.8 and 25% experienced dysmenorrhea and abnormal uterine bleeding, respectively. Two-thirds of the respondents with dysmenorrhea used analgesics. After analgesics, herbal medicine was the next most commonly used treatment. The mean age of first sexual intercourse was 24.3 years, and 68.8% of the sexually active women used contraception. The most commonly used contraceptive method was the condom (79.7%), and many women (up to 62.2%) demonstrated a distorted understanding of oral contraceptives. Although many women were aware of general gynecological diseases such as cervical cancer (77%), endometriosis (64.4%), and leiomyoma (62.6%), only 22.2% of the respondents had visited a clinic for a gynecological examination, and among those who had visited a clinic, the main reason for the visit was pregnancy (44.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this survey provide insight into and allow us to characterize the reproductive health status of urban South Korean women.
Lee
Dong-Yun
DY
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Koo
Young-Ah
YA
Yoon
Byung-Koo
BK
Choi
DooSeok
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008598:Menstruation; D017584:Reproductive History; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult