title: Contraceptive features preferred by women at high risk of unintended pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Available contraceptives are not meeting many women's needs, as is evident by high levels of typical-use failure, method switching and discontinuation. To improve women's satisfaction with contraceptive methods, determining what features they prefer and how these preferences are satisfied by available methods and methods under development is crucial.
  
  
  METHODS
  The importance of 18 contraceptive method features was rated by 574 women seeking abortions--a group at high risk of having unprotected intercourse and unintended pregnancies--at six clinics across the United States in 2010. For each available and potential method, the number of features present was assessed, and the percentage of these that were "extremely important" to women was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The three contraceptive features deemed extremely important by the largest proportions of women were effectiveness (84%), lack of side effects (78%) and affordability (76%). For 91% of women, no method had all of the features they thought were extremely important. The ring and the sponge had the highest percentage of features that women deemed extremely important (67% each). Some streamlined modes of access and new contraceptive technologies have the potential to satisfy women's preferences. For example, an over-the-counter pill would have 71% of extremely important features, and an over-the-counter pericoital pill, 68%; currently available prescription pills have 60%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The contraceptive features women want are largely absent from currently available methods. Developing and promoting methods that are more aligned with women's preferences presumably could help increase satisfaction and thereby encourage consistent and effective use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. lnlessard@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Lauren N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Lessard
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karasek
authors.forename: Sandi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Darney
authors.forename: Julianna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deardorff
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahiff
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Diana Greene
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000023:Abortion Applicants / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States; D047568:Unsafe Sex; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female